the exile constitution
1.
Man became god and fashioned
With his hands the Exile.
The Exile scratched his hair,
Thank you? he said.
2.
As if throwing off the burden of chains,
Man’s quill scribbled “all men are created equal”.
The Exile scratched his hair,
Equal to what? he said.
3.
Man yoked unalienable rights upon those who
Were given no right to refuse them.
The Exile scratched his hair,
What am I supposed to do with these? he said.
4.
Putting on the clothes of the freedom
Of speaking and praying and being, Man puffed his chest.
The Exile picked up the scraps of cloth that
Had fallen and with tedious determination
Stitched them together to form a quilt
For the Exile to cover himself with.
The Exile scratched his hair,
My feet are still cold, he said.
5.
The Exile learned the words habeas corpus
So Man got better lawyers (and judges).
The Exile scratched his hair,
What kind of justice for all? he said.
6.
When the Exiles cupped their hands and yelled,
the Exiles told them to pipe down
and be thankful for oxygen.
The Exile scratched his hair,
It’s still hard to breathe, he said.
7.
Man fashioned a statue of an old Exile
And looked out expectantly,
But the Exile did not applaud.
The Exile scratched his hair,
Thanks for the perspective? he said.
