Great

​“Great is my love for all creatures, for all
Reality.” (In point of fact, 
I’m struggling to latch my belt,
And get through the day with a minimal tact.)

“Heaven forbid to insert in my heart
A sliver of hostility,
Of hatred for anyone.” (Except
For this barren range at the Northern Sea.)

“I can feel how I’m filled with love, great love
For everything.” (Here’s another
Mile of debris on the railway tracks.)
“Especially” (if I don’t smother)

“Human beings, even more, 
“The children of Israel” (they’re the ones
Who cough, who rustle, who stir,
Who clank their skeletons),

“And even more, those who fear 
God” (yes, I read about
Them every day; something’s odd
In Kensington and in the bay.)

“And how much more, the scholars” (how
The streets are strewn with anxious, twisted
Men, and I don’t know who
They are, cowards or double-fisted.)

“I won’t diminish anyone, 
I want them all to rise,” (if I
Can undertake) “to be honored,”
(not to streak and scarify)

“Elevated, beautified”
(Furious now, and disappointed)
“I have to know myself, my soul”
(My mind, streaked and double-jointed).