it’s all out there
between us at the grocery
holding us apart on the streets
these inherited opinions
other’s thoughts become
violence in our teeth

we have always
been pitifully petty
purpled with the
anger
of not having
our ambitions set in
lights and glitter
and green

although the lessons
have lasted lingering
thousands of years
we cannot seem
to learn

why do the great gods sit in council?
probably to laugh
at our feeble attempts
to make them real