A Poem by Travis Laurence Naught

Personification

Seeing others happy is a terrible booby prize
To the much more desirable making people happy
Which will brighten any do-gooders' day
From the simple recognition
That they have introduced a little positivity into the world.

It is often said that misery loves company,
But selfish purposes are often to blame for misery
So grouchy people have difficulty connecting
Due to simple head butting nature
Like bighorn rams on a cliff side battling.

Truth and parallels in nature are easy to find
Documentaries about the human race
Played out on screen and in books
As long as the individual receiving this information
Dives below the surface, reads between the lines.

Hyenas and vipers carry tattooed grins on their faces
In hopes of fooling careless prey
Using a predatory cover
With a false " how do you do "
Before destroying a life for their own gain.

Herbivores all look depressed though;
Food and abundant herd status come too easily
Leaving them less than content with life
In an endless repeating cycle
Where a fear of death is the only excitement.

Primates search out adventure and experience
Through camaradic outings aimed at fun
Understanding that boredom can be conquered
Given the right set of social circumstance
And a willing leadership.

Each person falls into one of these categories
Provided by evolution,
Not present day Darwinism,
But a cultural shifting of mindset
Focused on goal oriented outcomes.



Travis Laurence Naught is a poet who happens to be a quadriplegic wheelchair user. He earned a bachelor's in psychology from Eastern Washington University in 2005. His first book collection, The Virgin Journals, was released by ASD Publishing in March of the 2012. It received an honorable mention in the biography/autobiography category at the 2012 San Francisco Book Festival and was used as curriculum in a disability studies course at EWUniversity. Other poems by him have been published online at http://www.deadmansreach.com, http://49writers.blogspot.com, http://www.pyrokinection.com/ and http://www.ravensbrew.com as well as in print in the 2012 Northwest Boulevard and The Easterner, both released by EWU. You can follow his daily update page online at www.facebook.com/TravisLaurenceNaught