MY HUMANITY

A time machine
You took me to another day, another age
Where I mingled with kings and rode into battle
A time and place where the sun beat down
On jungles as yet unspoilt by man.

A stamp on my passport
You allowed me entry to diverse countries
Where I could trek mountains pristine with snow
To lands remote and neighbouring where the moon rose
To an ambiance of delicious delights.

A chord on my conscience
You played tunes I had never before heard
While I grappled with feelings that you slowly stirred
As the music of humanity passed me by
While I stood alone in a crowd of faces

And held you in my band
- The anthology of a humanity I despise -

A tutor to my intellect
You explored the contours of my mind
While I analysed tenets that you dared me question
As the messages of past generations beckoned me
While I stood in museums that told the story of man

And pored over your bounty
- The treasury of a humanity I admire –


And held you in my hand
And pored over your bounty

As I enjoyed the vicarious pleasures that only you can offer

A book

To which I owe my humanity.