
Elements of Justice
Imagining Manhattan flattened
As Rotterdam was — as Gaza is being
Humbaba was guarding
the Great Cedar Forest — the source
Of fresh air, clean air, cool air
A condition of health, air:
The most vital
Water and earth,
And fire stands for energy
Empedocles, who stares at seas
And sees these elements
As elements of health, says:
Cities and societies
That can’t, or won’t, deliver these,
Enabling ease,
Are symptoms of the great disease
And, as such, are both ethically
And legally invalid