Humanity is a cracked mirror,
a thousand faces, none of them whole.
It smiles with blood in its teeth,
shakes hands with one fist clenched.

It builds towers, writes books,
paints skies with its brilliance—
then sets it all on fire,
just to watch the glow.

It sings of love, of peace, of hope,
but only when the knives are dull.
Give it time—give it hunger—
and it will eat its own.

Yet still, we stare into the shards,
searching for something real,
pretending the fractures
were never there.
                                                          ­                                              -Salvatore