Dignity is ephemeral and not a given

Dignity is ephemeral and not a given

Once we bask

In the power of its illusion

We can be fooled by its charms.

If we ignore the impact kindliness

Will have on its appearance

The direction of its travel

And need for recognition,

Blithely disregard

Its crooked smile and averted glance

Whenever we fail to appreciate

The outward projection of our

Own drives and insecurities,

Petty acts and cruelties.

Varnish our own truths

With a veneer of permanence.

When internal pain is all we have

To live for,

It is too easy

To forget the fragility of others.

We demand our dues

As if by right.

We fight to maintain ascendancy,

Refuse to lose our

Stranglehold on gravitas

And yet,

See its nurture as an affront.

Its royal presence

And loyal constancy,

As an endless prospect

Of mutual beneficence,

A sleeping partner.

And despite a tendency

For it to wander,

If left to its own devices,

We sigh in exasperation

As it gradually slips away.

Leaving us unprotected,

Vulnerable to insinuation

And unguarded to the resultant

Implosion of a fruitless,

Positively pointless,

Self regard.