You’d Have to Make It from Scratch

The supernaturalists
Have a point in their favor—
Nature’s unfavorable

To all the children of life.
Change is inevitable,
And competition’s brutal.

As a matter of desire,
Occasional exceptions
Would sure seem desirable.

Humans have always been fond
Of finding snug enclosures
Against external threats, but

What’s a cave without a mouth,
A castle without a gate,
A room without a window?

That’s how nature feels to you,
Since extinction doesn’t feel
Like an appealing escape.

If nothing else, it’s soothing
To posit the marvelous,
Miracle doors in the air.

It’s just too bad that magic,
Gods, and benevolence have
A habit of becoming

Infected by the very
Patterns they dream of besting—
Conflict, rules, and punishment.

Repeat after us, children—
The only alternative
To this world is another.