What we see today
The endless stream of
The dispossessed embarking on
A journey of a thousand miles
Is not just the failure of the government
It is a societal failure
In schools we are taught to
Get ahead
Stand first
And the devil take the hindmost
Another’s failure is cause for celebration
Because if another fails
We succeed
Relatively
This is institutionalised in
Relative Grading
This thought for only
I, me, myself
Continues through life
Is the fabric of our lives
Relationships are superficial
And a friend in need
Is no friend, indeed
So there is no empathy for another
There can be no empathy for another
We who know only competition
Not coöperation
Are incapable of
Suffering another’s suffering
In this general numbness
Those who try to
Kindle small flames
Of hope
Of caring
Of karuna
Are overwhelmed
But
There Is No Alternative
It is only compassion
That will help
Another
Ourselves
The nation
Society
To heal
The journey of a thousand miles
Begins with a single step
In more ways than one