As promised, this week I’ll share a poem about envy. But you’ll find not hide nor hair of this theme unless you know what to look for. After all, at the time I wrote it, I didn’t really understand the emotions behind the behaviors I was observing. I was like an ancient astronomer, staring at the stars, knowing their movements, but unable to explain how they moved or where they came from.
The behavior which particularly inspired this poem was a pernicious little thing, not terribly hurtful and easy to ignore… in small doses.
I don’t pretend that I’ve never done it myself, but having seen my fair share of it, I do avoid it, along with all those who practice it regularly. Nowadays, I also find it helpful to explain to myself why a body has behaved that way. Somehow, it all seems a lot smaller and less personal when I do that, which makes it easier to just “brush off the little stuff”.
However, at the time this poem was born, I had no such defenses, and mostly felt angry and cynical over it, so kindly take the message (if you see one) with a grain of salt.
Words Said in Jest
There was an old bat who lived in a shoe
She could make most any child coo
But she had few friends for the parents said
“She loves my children more than I do.”
Now ‘twas all said in jest, but wary be
For words said in jest are rarely empty
Are you sad this one was so short? No worries, there’s more where this came from.