Virtue

[billy]

virtue is proven by what we don't do. a bold statement
greatness is rare. for every ten people
who change how we think, build orphanages
or fight oppression, a million more
blow through their lives like leaves at the feet
of a film character. therefore in the absence of greatness
the best among us give by giving nothing bad. this verse feels a little weak with only a few substantive lines, for me it needs something more, virtue and greatness need i think, to be shown as opposed to explained. like love and hate they're imponderables that need image to define them properly.

every time we avoid doing something unspeakably evil
we give to the world. again an image would have worked better.

every time we don't rape a woman down a dark alley,
murderer our spouses, molest a child, spread hatred
of a certain group, steal from our friends
and beat each other up, we are showing our virtue. for me, virtue is more about the way we do good as opposed to not doing bad,

we contribute to the garden of life
by not pouring salt
in the window box we've been allotted. again for me, this is a misconception. i like the verse and the image it has but it feels too pat. also it would work better for me as not pouring salt in the window boxes allotted to others.

for me it's a better than average forum poem. in truth knowing it's from you i found it to be weak compared to most of your other stuff. it's not what i would call a narrative poem which you're excellent at doing. it feels more like a life lesson without pictures. for me it should have been more concrete in image. somehow i felt i was being taught something i already knew, the way adults teach kids;

look both ways
wait for a red light
and cross quickly
but don't run.
except here i was being told about virtue and greatness, i wanted to be shown.

thanks for the read jack, as always.

the above is jmo and may be discarded or used as you see fit