Before the Idol

​Before the idol
The human visage is decreased,
Crushed, humiliated
Before the sun-god in the east,

An Aztec tower of skulls,
The charcoal sati,
So too the faiths 
That with sticky amity

Exaggerate forgiveness
Of every sin and crime,
Consigning the man’s spirit
To weakness and grime

Unable to see
That he is powerful and free.
When we take each step
With integrity,

And we fear the toxic wind,
Our will is strong
And we conquer coral islands,
Oblique and oblong.

Awake and tough,
Not interested in favors,
Dispensations,
Hastily contrived waivers,

But principles, pillars,
Not dismayed by a dried-out
Pool, a savage rifle,
We seek the rain beyond drought.