Please explain to me
the why of this war.
I ask Agrippinus.
Tell me how Trump
dupes these dumb dumbs
into devoting themselves.
I ask Hashem.
Why did you give me cancer
on top of everything else?
I ask Buddha.
Is life without pain?
I ask Plath.
Is poetry sacred?
I ask Marcus Aurelius.
What matters most?
They all answered the same:
Because there was something else
Because there was something else
that not even the most powerful dictator
can deprive you of without consent:
your dignity, your self-respect, your values.
They continued.
If you can maintain these objectives
even on the worst Wednesday
in your world,
then you can be better.