untitled

think back to when you first
believed.
were you scared when you heard
about the fire? you knew,
of course, that you were bad.
so it became about goodness.
measuring sticks.
weights and scales and
rulers - the kind that have inches
and the kind that hold rods.
every man for himself.
as a kid on a yellow bicycle
you fell and when your knee
hit the pavement you cursed
for the first time.
your best friend wiped the blood
away and suddenly you were far,
far from where
the world used to be.
he had a leg up on goodness
because in the light, everything
is measured.

bring back the badness.
bring back the madness.
wipe out the scales and say,
i'm abhorrent.
my soul is black. don't hide it.
when goodness rose, grace
fell.
and no one remembered
whose hands held them anymore.