cruelty and violence resemble rocks dropped in a pond;
any likened response,
no matter how reasoned,
winds up forming
yet more ripples
in widening, destructive waves.
it is ever the innocent and powerless,
within reach of these spheres,
who suffer the most harm.
to try never to expand a cruel or violent act,
and if i can, to subvert it,
has been one of my life’s goals;
for these repellent rocks, whether gilt or granite,
are as dead as the dust of deserts,
like self-righteous fossils and the memory of ponds.
Evan Hawthorn's Blog
(visual aid by Christian Schloe)
