The Pyramid

A little less sunshine, a little more dust,

Square-shouldered boulders stay where

They must. Hammered and hewed, chiseled,

And with thick ropes bound, they are made 

To obey the proud, golden crown.

The head and the feet - far removed,

Like earth and sky - one clumsy, heavy,

While the other is made of light - separate,

But equal, each at his station in life -

Placed there, for better or worse, by birthright.

Like grains of sand in a desert land we lie,

Spread out over the earth - the unborn, dead, or

Soon to die - we are what we always were:

Parts of an ancient, crumbling tower.

Willfully blind to the plight of the other,

We frown, brother not recognizing brother,

But like summer rain, Love - warm and kind -

Falls from above on all: the perfectly made,

The fortunate, the desperate, the ill-defined. 

Reviews

[fallen.angel.]

I don't know where to begin... I love everything about this poem. The imagery, the dualities, the yin and yang. Everything is perfect and I appreciate you sharing this masterpiece with us all

[John the Baptist]

The pyramid seems to be a metaphor for mankind, with the fortunate at the crown and those at the shoulders and below stuck in less happy stations in life. The poem's overall tone is pessimistic, seeming to say this is the lot of the greater part of mankind. Damn, doesn't anyone ever win the lottery?

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Maybe we are fortunate to feel desperation in life...Makes us reach for the top of that Pyramid...
and yes, I agree..."we are what we always were:"

This is so deep, and has a great beat withj the alliteration.
Reminds me of Lawrence F.

j.

[Laz K.]

there's a lot of talk about "social justice" these days - which is nothing new really. however gut-wrenching it is to realize how seemingly "unfair" life is, it is very unlikely to change. we are what we always were.

thank you for reading and commenting, j.
:)