imperfection (an old educator’s observation)

some day
look around
the world is imperfect

why demand perfection
from yourself
your friends
your significant other
your children
your students
your colleagues
your foes

some day
look around
we are all
children of the earth
imperfection
is embedded within the
agents of socialization that
worm their way into our psyches
via our interactions and
the influence of social institutions
some day
look around and
see we are imperfect

we can counter imperfection
with compassion
with empathy
with a helping hand
as we strive for
kindness and
cooperation
as we seek to be our sisters’ and brothers’ keepers
for we are all children of the earth
imperfection is embedded within

Paul Cech has been writing poetry since 1970. Several of his poems have been published as Saturday Poems in the Pittsburgh- Post Gazette and the Thomas Merton Center of Pittsburgh has published several of his poems in NewPeople. Read other articles by Paul.