Because we were lectured
so hard and
so often
on "making something"
of ourselves,
it makes sense
that feeling our
limbs going phantom
as our eyes turn
to marbles
would seem obvious—
but not virtuous,
since
virtue is just not a
virtue attributable
to the mildest
among us: the
inanimate objects.
*
Turns out,
what the martyr values
is focus
more than balance;
they see a certain fearsomeness
in the symmetry
of being
too clever by-half.
Remember how once we fought
about empty vs. perfect,
but didn't argue?
we'd jump in
at the middle
in order to get a head start
counting to infinity?
