Elements of Justice


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

Elliot Sperber is a writer, attorney, and adjunct professor. He lives in New York City and can be reached at elliot.sperber@gmail.com and on twitter @elliot_sperber