The Descent of Man.

The Descent of Man.

They dragged themselves up

Out of the deep

Reprobates with sea legs

Looking for an easy lay.

Any excuse

To explain away

The discrepancy in their story

Maneating lions

Kill their offspring

Sing their name with pride

Great apes

Stand on two legs

Smiling for the camera

As if the very act of survival

Can be understood

In terms of avarice

A thirst for power

The nature of the beast

Explaining evolution,

Twisting the code

Ethical eugenics

As a matter of principle

Brute force in a velvet glove

The animal within the man

The sharp thin blade

A stiletto thrust

Hidden in a sleeve

Waiting to be used

On the defenceless

Blaming the victim

For their failure to thrive

Philanthropists with an eye

For detail

Lay claim to the bones

Of a Peace dove

Scattering the ashes

To the four winds

Setting a course for a new world

Order

With the keys to the castle

A prize worth fighting for

They joust

To win favour

Every confrontation

A just war

Wrapped in ritual and ceremony

To disguise the nature

Of its depravity

The inhumanity of its thirst

The single-mindedness

Of its intent.