Etiquettes Redefined

ask not to a widow,

“does grief hurt?”

ask not to a lover,

“does love disappoint?”

ask not to a wanderer,

“does the road end?”

ask not the sufferer ,

“does suffering ache?”

ask not to a loner,

“does silence kill?”

ask not to a doctor,

“does disease win?”

ask not to the aged,

“does death terrify?”

ask not to the poor,

“does money come by?”

ask not to a soldier,

“does survival traumatise?”

ask not to a learner,

“does learning cease?”

ask not to the homeless,

“where do you live?”

ask not to the atheist,

“In which god do you believe?”

ask not to the fireman,

“does fire burn?”

ask not to the beggar,

“how much do you earn?”

 

ask instead, to a fellow human,

”how are you doing today?
are you doing okay?

Whoever you are,

whatever you do,

I hope you have a good day!