! 'Perceived Insults' Poem by Michael Shepherd

In the list of human indulgences,
‘perceived insults’ rank high in personal irresponsibility:
it’s when you take offence on behalf of another
whom you hadn’t spoken to, anyway, to ask them..

as for instance, insulting a teacher’s intelligence
by suggesting that she has acted out of malice;
or insulting a small child by suggesting
that his name ‘Mohammed’
given him by his parents,
is itself an insult to the Prophet;

what a luxury for the holier-than-thou,
the whited sepulcres, and those who use
perceived victimisation by other faiths
as a tool of their aggression…

well, you get the drift…