Compassion Long Gone a poem by Sean G. Kilkelly

'Tis only several years ago,
I went up to Kensico,
Laced up my Nike 'blades,
For round and round I would go,
An October day like any other;
Falling leaves,
A gentle breeze.
Yet I stopped on a dime,
For the dam a man would climb,
He was ready to let go,
I suppose his life was of no worth,
Or so he thought since birth,
Thank God for the men in blue,
Who talked him through,
A life in the balance,
Now saved and whisked away in an ambulance,
What pushes man to the brink?
To think of himself so unkind,
Was he a child once left behind,
Some would say he's a whack that fell through the cracks,
A Hollywood Cruiser would say he's nothing but a loser,
And that some exercise would be the proper remedy,
Well, I'm no MD but this I surely know,
His life was rife with pain,
Why is compassion no longer in fashion?
Are empathy and sympathy no longer cool?
Once in school I was told the world I cannot save,
But my real Teacher said;
We are our brother's keeper,
'Tis every life precious,
For life is too short,
To only take each other to court,
The news report says many more dead in Darfur,
Another genocide,
A random homicide,
Terrorism,
Accusations of racism,
Fanaticism,
More lack of compassion,
Only me just wonderin',
Is cashin' in all we're wishin',
For I'm a regular bloke,
Just wantin' less sufferin' for everyday folk.