Spain beat Sweden by two goals to one.

Spain beat Sweden by two goals to one.

As the Cuckoo

Throws out another egg

The Lion eats his young,

Banishes its rivals

After a fight,

Even his own son,

And is promiscuous.

The Stag ruts

To establish primacy

Chimps crudely shred an invader

For a banana

The Dolphin bullies the porpoise

The Orca hunts the Whale.

The Prairie dog will eat

Almost anything,

Bite off its own leg

Even sell its mother

To chew on a bone.

The Locust will steal the crop

The Ant would rule the world

As the bee stings

To save itself

It fails to save the hive.

Humankind is hailed as the worst offender,

Venal and self-serving

The beastliest of all,

Even as they die

For one another

Spend a lifetime searching

For the truth

Live on rice

Die a lonely death in poverty

Willingly self-sacrifice

Their own futures

To protect their family

In service to their country,

Even though the best

Are worth more

Than all the rest

Of us put together

It is the worst of them that profit

From the common man’s travails.

One day there will be a reckoning,

Not of apocalyptic proportion

Or biblical revelation

Which is myth

To act as a distraction,

But when the best of us

Finally

Pull the rest of us

Out of the fire

Into a safer place,

Where the beauty of humankind

Can show its better face,

When at last, we see humanity

As worth so much more

Than a cheap shot

And a puppy meme.