Toxic

Nothing I ever gave was good for you

Like giving white bread to a goldfish

They cram and cram and then it kills

And they drift in the pool belly up

Making stunned faces

And playing on our guilt

As if their own toxic gluttony

Was not their fault

                                           Louise Penny

_________________________________

Ah

We can be toxic

Even in our good intentions

Promising people

Safety

Prosperity

Power

But at what cost?

The death of the earth?

The withering of a soul?

The loss of compassion?

The stunned faces

When they realize they have made

And agreement with death

Our remorse

When we realize what we have all done to ourselves

Seeking sustenance from that

Which ultimately kills

We know the water which satisfies

We know the living bread

The sacred feeds us in strange and wonderful ways