there are planets
and I have seen most of them
up close
as robot explorers slid by
there are moons
and we have math that lets us plot
where the planets and moons will be
there are electrons
and other tiny particles we can't see
but have the math to tell
how they'll behave
probably
and there are people
but we have no math to predict
how they'll behave
those few of us who read history
think we can predict
but people fool us
some are magnanimous
some generous
most of us think kindly
sort of
but act to protect ourselves
maybe our families
and some of us are grim
sadistic
horrible
we would not need those words
except for those of us who earn them
once in a village so small
that you and I do not know its name
only that it was near a border
between two countries the villagers had hardly heard of
and had little contact with
once in that village
lived a family so poor
that when the father got sick
the neighbors feared the family would die
so every neighbor gave what they could spare
including time to cook their gifts and feed the man
including time to draw the baths and wash the children
and tell them stories
once in that village
the man began to heal
had almost reached the health
with which he could get out of bed
when soldiers came
it hardly matters from where
they didn't expect a village
so knew it was illegal
they killed the men and boys
stole food and anything else they fancied
including the women and the girls
then burned the village away
later in that war
most of those soldiers received medals
for gallantry in other circumstances
two of them became officers
and one of those was elected mayor
of his home town
the universe sped on
yes, sped
most of it moves at enormous speeds away from us
there may be meaning in that
but probably not
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