Not Humble, Not Proud

I am not humble
I am not proud
To present you with my self
In all humility
Aware as I am
In the current of circumstances
Beyond my control
.
I am not proud
I am not humble
Those words that speak of elevation
One over other
In superior and inferior posture
Are rank in my nostrils
And stick in my craw
Making me retch
When I hear them spoken
In careless betrayal of what it means to be human
In natural companionship with life
Around and within our fathomless souls
.
I can be glad
I can be sad
I can feel good
I can feel bad
I can appreciate
I can dislike
I can give
I can receive
I can be grateful
I can grieve
I can stay
And I can leave
.
But do not expect me
To be proud
Do not expect me to be humble
For that is where the nonsense starts
When far removed
From in our hearts
Where rulers rule over ruled
By false pretence
Impostors both
Undignified
Excised from space
Like cardboard cut-outs
Tall and small
Arrayed upon a graceless grid-lined graph
Vertical against horizontal
Class against class
Breeding resentment
Breeding despair
Profit against cost
In a pointless game
That leaves all at a loss
Eventually
Bereft
.
Do not tell me stories of success and failure
And environmental harm
That set us apart from where we are
They do not move me much
Tell me instead of how it feels
To live and love and lose
All you might have hoped for
Within your earthly home
And what you need to make it better
That might just call me into correspondence
In heartfelt relationship