How much does it cost to be courteous?
How much does it cost to be polite?
How much does it cost to try to listen?
How much does it cost to try to understand?
How much does it cost to be kind?
How much does it cost to be friendly?
How much does it cost to be nice?
How much does it cost not to do these things?
Money
ReplyDeleteTo be courteous requires
Courtly restraint. Not affection.
To be polite requires passive
Acquiescence. A snake before its strike.
To try to listen means
Lurking at keyholes for gossip.
To try to understand means
Standing under rain from a Rubik’s cube.
To be kind arises from recognizing
Kin among the woodpile.
To be friendly involves picnics
Chucking cousins under the chin.
To be nice takes smiley-face duplicity
Praising others so you can be praised.
Not to do any of these things
Takes courage in the face of social coercion.
It’s quite amazing how much
Our language is contaminated by
Metaphors of money
Turning citizens into consumers.
How much I love you
Just doesn’t add up
[Disposable Poem September 21, 2009]
Dr. Mike
It costs nothing and means everything. Love is all there is.
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