Upon The Sea of Anarchy, Canto IV

Canto III

Canto IV

I now know legislation does not make

An action more legitimate. I fooled

Myself, believed that lie. And for the sake

Of my own soul, I seek to make it up

To those I sought to suffer and to quake

Before my own self-righteousness.

I’m humble now. As humble as a pup

Or as the birds you see above. They press

Against the blue – their white and black is all

We see. You see the albatross caress

The sky – it rarely lands. The sea gulls thrive

Here on our floating island. Hear the call

Of black-capped terns? And when we do arrive

Near shore, we see the pelicans. Your sight

Is good: each bird is white and black. You’ll strive

In vain to see a green or red. White blends

Into the clouds, essential white on white

On ozone blue. The albatross, it spends

Its life on air, and there seems elegant –

Perhaps because he floats above, befriends

No other bird, and never lands. And my

Impression’s not my own alone; my sentiment

Is shared, and so a law’s emerged to try

To stay all human hands or weapons aimed

Against that awesome bird. I won’t deny

We punish people for it. We will shame

The one who brings the albatross down, maimed

Or dead. For shame coordinates us – name

A social value, shame coordinates

Them all. And thus we never tame

With ossifying legislation’s maw.

We live our social lives and have debates

When we are faced with any social flaw.

At worst we’ll call on judges to decide –

But social life is ruled by common law.