Testament

I am no poet—
and have no religion, no creed,
no faith except the little that I need
to get up in the morning
and dig in a few seeds
(not knowing even whether they will grow),
and yet

—still—

I hold
that compassion is better than cruelty,
love more virtuous than hate,
that the truth is what it is,
and that the idols of the mighty
—wealth, power, fame—
are false gods.

And that will have to do.

December 2016