Judging You, Judging Me

“We all judge. that’s our hobby.

Some people do arts and crafts. We judge.”

—Stanford, Sex and the City

I heard you say you have no vices,

and see that you’ve taken to judging others

on a sliding scale of perfection;

with no one quite as perfect as you.

You know all that there is to know

on a myriad of subjects

and a multitude of points.

Alcohol, tobacco, drugs…

the bane of the 'weak-minded,'

and anyone with such affliction

should rid themselves of their addiction.

How fast you counter with your opinion,

to expose such ‘weaknesses’ to your minions.

—God forbid you ever knew the anguish of abuse

    the pain of infection that eats the bone

    the torment that rips out  the heart

    the invisible suffering that tears one apart.

I dare you to walk a mile

in the other person’s shoes—

yeah, that person whom you're sure

lit up that cigarette just to “spite” you;

the one you’ve deemed as thinking

“only of themselves”

polluting the air that’s there

for only you to breath

Perhaps they, like you, needed

a night out, a reprieve—

from the worries that they carry,

from a life you could never understand.

How hard it must be to keep up that image of the perfect man…

Don’t you see that they, too,  pull their pants on one leg at a time?

In another lifetime, you also might have been judged...

but we no longer talk of lifestyle choices

in once-hushed tones and whispered voices.

So best not judge lest you be judged...

We ALL have vices, some obvious

and some so subtle that even those affected

cannot see them for what they are.

Yet, if we take a good look in the mirror

we might realize —with some measure of shame—

inside all preconceived notions lies this truth:

   we really are the same...

not one of us is perfect, no matter what we claim.

So, be careful where your laurels rest

  and whom you would defame

© Ginny Brannan 2017

*TY to C.B. for the perfect quote above, which I saw and remembered on your page from such a long, long time ago.