Homo Erect Us With A Complex Poem by Ted Sheridan

We all are standing naked….
in front of the two way mirrors;
either in the expensive and elite hotel rooms
filled with wealthy tourist or the lowly but fascinating
municipal zoos stocked with various animals from abroad,
all of whom are laughing at what Darwin has done to us.
Naked as newborn Jaybirds we are; plucked
of our feathers, with arms too long and weak
to even attempt to fly or swing from trees. We walk upright
now with feet too small to make a good pair of fins
and lungs that fill with water should we try to swim
anywhere but into the mouth of a trafficked confusion
brought on by the human trait we refer to as civilization.
We all are standing naked….
sucking in our tummies, sticking out our chests
calling six inches twelve, and lying about what color taste the best.
When we are young we exercise our right to be ignorant
often enough and once we have matured to a ripe old age
we try to boost our egos and our faces with a shot of some Botox;
just as poisonous as our fate, if we don’t learn to laugh
at ourselves as we all are standing naked….
in front of the two way mirrors…

2008 © T Sheridan