KINDRED

    We have the wit and savvy to perceive
    That consciousness like ours is marvelous,
    And for the universe thus to achieve
    Such self-awareness now obliges us
    To honor and preserve what seems so rare,
    Perhaps unique, then evermore explore
    How we may grow more canny and aware,
    Arriving, fully formed, at Wisdom’s door.
    That Wisdom is our fate we have foreseen
    In naming our kind Homo sapiens,
    Yet while our species’ intellect grows keen,
    We still lack aperture in Wisdom’s lens.
         We’ll know we’re wise when we are all inclined
         To love each other well because we’re kind.

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