When did we see you?

The metaphorical goats

feign innocence:

When did we see you? they ask,

expecting us to believe

that their world exists like some medieval city

behind safe and tall walls;

and that they have never ventured

beyond their comfortable houses,

or had ever gone out to shop or play,

or to attend church, school or work;

not to mention the football, or the theatre.

More than that, they pretend

that the cosmos and its many stories

have never intruded into their secure space;

that there exists neither telephone nor internet,

television, satellite, wireless,

newspaper or magazine.

Dwelling, as they must, in some impossible

pre-Microsoft, pre-Marconi,

pre-Edison, pre-Guttenberg era

their ignorance becomes defensible

only because, presumably,

none homeless or hopeless or hungry,

none abused or oppressed or anguished

ever presented themselves to claim

their attention and their compassion..

This alone would be an acceptable excuse

for failing to see their king,

and failing to do the difficult

but joyous work of love.

© 2011 Ken Rookes