The Menga Dolmen

No written language. Rest there,
Then circle back to musing
On all the giant structures

Stone-Age humans assembled
At far-flung sites around the world—
Dolmens, henges, and temples,

Heaps with varying functions,
Varying shapes and meanings,
At varying altitudes.

Doesn’t it make you wonder
A little why anyone
Bothered to begin writing?

It wasn’t necessary
To organize anything.
It wasn’t necessary

For civilization or
To simply survive.
Some early writing contexts

Were much less awe-inspiring
Than the mounds and weapon hoards
Of non-literate neighbors.

You know the answer. Writing
Had ulterior motives.
Writing blossomed for itself.

Against Role Models

She brought him something she adored.
She wanted him to adore it.
At a glance, he knew he couldn’t.

He tried not to comment on it.
He tried to steer her to her own
Capacity to create worlds.

Limitations don’t limit us,
Not like appreciation does.
We get held back by what we love.

Could we be freer if we chose
To admire nothing no one did?
It’s unlikely the choice is ours.

Our admirations confine us.
We’re limited by what we love.