I. <br />The figures are evenly spaced like a police line-up, <br />unaware they will indeed be on trial <br />as they trudge towards a brighter tomorrow. <br />The first figure is hunched over, <br />fierce and afraid, <br />carrying a spear or a crucifix. <br />The final figure has <br />perfect posture and body weight, <br />He is carrying an umbrella <br />or a Wall Street Journal, <br />and has a modeling contract with Speedo. <br /> <br />II. <br />“Neanderthal” is used as an epithet sometimes. <br />But it can be comforting <br />to remain hunched over, <br />to avert one’s eyes from the light, <br />to block out the cold indifferences <br />of science, <br />to glide through days in a medieval fog <br />and devolve backwards <br />tumbling down the stairs <br />to let oneself believe <br />that a white candy heaven awaits, <br />that all questions have simple answers, <br />that the heart is the guide <br />and it can never be wrong.<br /><br />Michael Philips<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/evolutionary-chart/
