this last piece of chocolate 

could find a home in your mouth 

 

that vacuuming robot 

would receive so much love 

 

perhaps a new kitten 

would make nights not so lonely 

 

I donated monthly to to the cause 

I guess I was born yesterday

 

he sponsored his whole family

out of a sense of obligation 

 

she insisted on volunteering 

on her exotic vacations 

 

these are forms of compassion 

of various scales 

borne out of a function

we have as mammals 

 

forms of compassion 

as we exhale 

twisting and stretching them 

'til they wrap around the world

 

she never had children 

throwing herself into her work 

 

he gave his inheritance 

to his neighbor’s girls

 

they pledged their millions

for the search for a cure 

 

he spent his SSI benefits 

on video dates with prostitutes