Civilized

By Andrew R. Duckworth

Breathe in the nice civilized air,
The comforting, cough-inducing
Air the city holds.
And the pains it took to tame
Ourselves from our wild ways.
Oh, we’re much better off now.
We separate the children and teach
Them the hate they need to survive.
We shout down our brother
In the slightest hint
Of disagreement.
No room for it, unfortunately.
Too many ideas breeds conflict.
We organize in different tribes,
Call the other ideas lies,
Spit at those we despise.
Oh yes, the city is civilized.
What better place to control
The lives of others than the city?

Please know that when I let those
Words flow about nature,
About the wilds,
Let the breath out of my lungs
That speaks a love affair
Of the desert, of the plains,
Of the hills, of the forest,
Of the wide open sea
Where the spirit can be free,
Know that I find often destructive
Nature much more civilized
Than the horror show of the city.

They say that rural
Breeds small minds.
But at least the mind
Looking over the plains,
Looking over the desert,
Looking over the hills
Has a million miles to run.