THE HERETICS
Lizards lackadaisical
seldom lose their tails at all,
just those who practice push-ups
near a cat.
And penguins paradoxical
never trip on rocks at all,
staying put in the Pacific,
swimming flat.
So humans hypothetical
might find life less regrettable
if they avoided hazards
just like that.
But mankind metaphysical
remains (alas!) too critical
of minds that will not move
from where they’re at.
© 1986 Marian Dickinson
