Natural Rivalry/Abstract Competition

There’s a subtle but radical
Difference
Between natural rivalry
In diverse community
As a challenge
To care for the needs of self and loved ones
As best one can in the circumstances
And abstract competition
As a mind game of human monopoly
Played to win
In closed arenas
At others’ expense
.
Rivalry is a source
(Not a force)
Of evolutionary attuning –
Sustainability and innovation
Learning to find and create
One’s own niche
One’s dynamic locality in space
In companionship with others
Contributing each in their own way
To life’s continuity
.
Competition is a dead end
In which all that’s been gained
In cancerous growth
Gets lost
At terrible cost
In fallen empires of one without neighbourhood
Buried beneath sands of deserted time