Humanity is eager to celebrate its victories
Any reason for recognition is embraced
For things where there is no competition
You can await your Certificate of Participation.
Congratulations.


For us being so obsessed with success,
You’d think we’d pay any attention
To any mention
Of failure.

The word Triumph is grossly overused
It’s meaning used to be so effective
Now it means nothing
If we catch a glimpse of something, anything, remotely within the broad definition of loss
We will bury it
And ignore it.

And sure, we can confess that we are compelled to fix things
That the poor need to be helped
And the lonely need to be comforted
And the sick need to be healed.

But why should we do anything?
We’ve helped create all these messes in our own selfishness
Let someone else clean up the rubble.
Why should we be responsible?
If we ignore the problem, obviously it will just go away.
Ignorance is taking over humanity
People speak, but never is anything received.

In our minds’ eye, there is a door
And, corrupted as we are,
When we open that door, there is a mirror
And that’s all we care to pay attention to.

On the other side of the mirror,
People are crying,
People are lying, cheating and stealing,
People are dying.
But what does it matter to us?
We have victories of our own to celebrate.

We don’t notice anything on the other side of the mirror until the outside forces penetrate it, and by then, it’s much too late.
The damage has already been done.

If only we had learned to ignore the mirrors instead of the world.
Because now the outside forces
Are ready to break them apart
And all that is left
Will be shattered glass
And because of our ignorance-
Because we want everything-
We will have nothing.