Some say the first job of wisdom is to name,
Correctly, the villain and the victim. That is
A job, alright, but it’s not wisdom. Humans
Are villainous or victimized only in the eyes
Of other human villains or victims. Wisdom
Would suggest, in its not-so-humble opinion,
That every last human staggering on the skin
Of this rotating pebble of nothing much and
Everything, is, as far as life, as far as living
Is concerned, both villain and victim in the end,
Or would be if the end of all this nothing much
Were not nothing. I get it. Some people are bad,
Really wicked. Some groups seem to get away
With almost anything. By all means, do your best
To find and punish them. Bear in mind, in doing so
You may yourself be them, become them, or
Generate more of them, more opportunities
For them. But they don’t get away, not for long,
That is, and you don’t get away, and I don’t,
And none of us do, not one goddamned pronoun
Or name, not one breathing, living thing,
Least of all any beast pretending to wisdom.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have sheep to steal
From Sisyphus, and I wish to name my grandson.
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