Empathy

Empathy

On the bay road once, on the way

to San Luis Obispo, I saw a sign that read:

Litter removal provided by EMPATHY.

And isn’t that how it works? Just a little

grace given, the smallest agreement to see

ourselves in the lives of others, and suddenly

the blood in our veins seems to run as clear

as a cleaned-up river, all the cast-off plastic

of lies and empty…