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THE LAW OF BOOK AND CLAW
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We follow the rules of polite society
We eat with utensils
Cover our mouths when we cough
Avail ourselves of the restroom
Say "Excuse me" when we accidentally bump someone
Smile and say "Hello"
These behaviors have been taught
They vary from culture to culture
And century to century
They are a thin veneer of civility
Over the original primitive being
That will fight tooth and nail to survive
Who will protect others
Who can help lift a car to free a trapped pedestrian
Pull a child from a raging river
Save a family pet from the rubble
Necessary and useful, this primitive version of us
As long as it doesn't slip the leash and show up
At the wrong place at the wrong time
An argument with a neighbor
A different political point of view
Merging in traffic
Rage, violence and abuse is not needed
Polite us and primitive us must work together
Each having a place and time
Depending on the situation
To balance what we were and what we are growing towards
In a better, kinder, gentler future
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