[CONTEST POEM #7]

               Though often claimed to be our signal flaw:
               Our fond propensity to transcend law,
               It’s nonetheless that very errant trait
               That can distinguish us and make us great.

               Though other species’ acts are bound by rules
               Of sanity, we’re free to act like fools,
               And yet that freedom leads us to explore
               New possibilities not tried before.

               While such behavior lost us Paradise,
               Such curiosity can still entice
               Us to engage in other dangerous deeds
               Resulting in what now and then succeeds,

                    For innovation always entails risk
                    And heedlessness of critics who tisk-tisk.

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