Respect Poem by Raymond Simmons

A gracious animal called respect
Is in poor health due to neglect.
Lost and confused thrown off its track,
We crushed its vigor with a smack.

Totally conquered here it lies
With Fading strength and weakened sighs.
Though once it was our favorite pet,
Its loss has caused no one regret.

We assisted its swift demise.
With ears too deaf to hear its cries.
We failed to open up our eyes,
And now we're startled and surprised.

Some doubt that it ever exists,
And proclaim it was just a myth.
It's Unknown in their reality
Of twisted picture that they see.

Respect for some created strife,
So it was banished from their life.
Sympathy fell out of fashion,
Soon accompanied by compassion.

Lately we've all been out of touch.
Because we want and need so much,
Holding foolhardy illusions,
Nurturing adverse conclusions.

Self-Aggrandize heroes' status
Ego boosting apparatus.
Will make it hard to recollect,
This animal once called respect.

The picture becomes distorted
When respect has been aborted.
Respect took an unpleasant spill,
We are the cure and only pill.

It's time we nurse it back to life,
End its downhill march to strife.
To bring respect back into play
Compassion is the price we pay
Love is the password we must say.