Here I stand, Diogenes,
Arriving
in Athens, never on my knees.
And
though I am naked,
My
healthy fats diminished,
I am
not resentful that
By my
father I was banished.
For
this is the wondrous city,
Athens:
the birthplace of democracy.
Where
all men are created equal,
Just
not foreigners like me, oh and women are not people.
But
that’s beside the point!
This is
the home of the greatest philosophers,
Forming
moral compasses from ivory towers,
While
slaves pray today they may be granted showers.
I am
not homeless,
No, I’m
an educated man,
But I just
can’t bring myself to take more from this land
Than
can be held in the palms of my two hands.
“Put on
some clothes”
Shouts
an Athenian gent,
Neck
bent so his gaze
Lands
just above my head.
“For
what do I need those?”
Is my
retort
And
it’s met with nothing
But a
contemptuous snort.
I used
to own a bowl.
It was
wooden and beautiful
And it
served me with food
From
the charity of the wealthy and the rude.
They pity
my situation
As if
they knew,
But
they don’t know how to move through life,
They’re
corrupted and confused.
I threw
that bowl away
When I
saw one day
A dog
sipping from the puddle
A smile
on his face.
I
shouted: “I’m a disgrace!”
And I threw
that bowl back at society
That
told me I needed
Such an
unnecessary commodity.
So I
joined that dog
and we
sat together,
Knowing
that if we just stayed present
This
moment would last forever.
The
laughs from the crowd
Were
drowned out
By a
heart that knew
From
the start what was true.
I
looked that dog in the eye
And clarity
filled my mind,
We are
none of us better
Than
any form of life.
So now
the only thing I truly need
Is a
lamp, yes, a lamp to see!
I carry
it with me at all times in the hope that I may find
An
honest human being but thus far I still am blind.
But I’ve
really splashed out
On my
living accommodation,
Upon a
basset hound’s recommendation
I have
found a ceramic jar.
What
once held wine
Will do
just fine
For me
to sleep and eat
And urinate
with my gang of canines.
And
those who mock I do forgive,
But
they mock that I am not
Embarrassed
to do
What I
must to live.
They
have become so vein,
So full
of disdain,
That
what is simple and plain
Just does
not sit well in their brain.
All the
same, they are not to blame,
They
were raised to play this ill-conceived game
By the
ruling elite who claim you peasants too
Can eat
the finest of meat.
They
know no other option
But to
want and desire
But if
they’d listen I’d tell them
They
can aim higher.
They
are featherless bipeds,
Plucked
chickens no less,
Who
will die and realise
We’re
all equal when we’re dead.
From
voluntary poverty,
I was
abducted by pirates,
Who
took away the one thing
I truly
desired:
Freedom
to be
Nothing
other than me
And I
was plunged
Into
slavery.
But in
midst of this trouble
I
became strong from my struggle
And my
philosophy was wiser
Than
that of Aristotle.
I escaped
a changed man to Corinth, gaining new fans.
I was
famous yet hated, but this land was the greatest.
Along came
another well-dressed gent
With a
serious comment:
“Stand
up, young man!
A very
important figure would like to shake your hand”
I, Diogenes,
will remain sat down
But
never on my knees.
I raise
my head for a gander
Oh it’s
just another human named Alexander.
“Alexander
the Great has arrived!”
But I
see no titles just those who are dead and those who are alive.
“What
does he want?”
I ask
as if I owe him something.
“He
wants to learn”.
Well
that I can give him.
But
Alexander stood before me
And
asked with authority
If
there was anything
He
could do for me.
I
searched for the words that might
Be
right then eventually
I told
him
“Step
out of my sunlight!”
And
Alexander the Curious
Was
suddenly furious
He gave
me a look
Like he
could be dangerous.
But he
bit his tongue
And asked:
“So
young one,
What is
it you do for fun?”
I said, "well Alexander,
I’m
glad that you asked,
I was
searching through graves
This
summer past.
“I do
these things,
When
I’m alone,
Searching
and searching
Through
human bones.
“See your
father, I heard,
Was a
King
So I
spent my time
Looking
for him
But it
took so long
Only to
discover
I could
not distinguish him
From
any other.”
And
Alexander
Fell to
his knees,
Saying “if
I weren’t Alexander,
I’d be
Diogenes.”
