Of How We Suffer, and How We Are Delighted

And, let’s not forget, of how we inflict
Suffering on each other, and suffer
More for having inflicted suffering,
Even when it gave us the savage joy
In the moment of revenge. Our stories
Reenact that joy over and over,
Since righteous violence is addictive
And with a quick burn that needs refreshing.
Back to the theaters, back to scriptures
For more retellings, for another fix
That will thrill us, then ebb and torment us,
Since our suffering lies in our delights,
In all of them, in our capacity
To be delighted, venom in the bait.