Snowflakes

At what point does a claim of empathy turn 

into a hollow statement full to the brim 
with half truths and a lack of self awareness.
And at what point must you admit that 
granting the benefit of the doubt 
can only extend so far as a descriptor. 
Humans seek food, shelter and companionship, 
not always in that order but still paraded as the
holy trifecta satisfying need, want, and lust. 

A self-critical eye behind a monocle can easily 
revert to binoculars looking so far beyond 
the horizon they fail to see the beauty in the 
perfection and flaws of the immediate view. 
When the blanket of privilege is removed and 
your needs are no longer attended to, 
can you take comfort in the gracious kindness
of the strangers who surround you?
The ones who owe you nothing and patiently 
smile while you demand everything. 

It is like a petulant child learning for the first time
the messages of individuality recited every evening, 
as a bedtime prayer are not relevant, do not resonate.
But what is a claim if not a self perception laced with
a poisonous conviction and a subscription to alienation?