they don't even have fingertips
to grasp a little humanity
for they have crawled
for too long to see

in surging weakness and corruption
andante wits dance in tempo
each a facsimile of vapid
in senseless storms

the lives they lead unchallenging
come easy go easy to miss
the wit and wisdom
of tails on dogs

no holding breath for the breathless
sprinters in misdirection choke
feeding on their offal's
killing themselves
to survive

and in pity they see what's not there
and swear they hear fishes sing
in Demos they cry freedom
in Acropolis they are
pathetic ruins