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The Work of Faust
THE WORK OF FAUST
Think about the ego and its demanding hubris,
First, you have to use the good book as a doorstop;
Now you can rely on the vaunted knowledge of the human brain.
Try to be self-deprecating like the Jewish comedian
Who said he didn’t want to be a member of a club
That wanted him as a member, then marry your step-daughter.
Imagine a megalomaniac with an inferiority complex and
Add to that narcissist syndrome and someone who conjures
Mephistopheles. He asks for youth instead of power and glory
The lesson of Faust is to heed demonic possibilities.
Our vaunted knowledge has given us clones, A-bombs, designer
Germs and many things that should have never left Pandora’s box.
Eugenics is only the obvious. Unbridled Capitalism that touts
The fulfillment of egoist unfettered wants and desires is also
Unleashed. Maybe corporations can come up with cloned sex slaves.
These guys are no different than us; that is, Faust and Dorian Gray.
Who doesn’t sell his soul a piece at a time? Are we good stewards
With the talents given us, or are we manipulators for gain?
I wonder if we could ask Watson and Crick about the fate of their soul
If they would say that we are preordained because of our DNA. This
Would be the mea culpa used to extricate ourselves from the devil’s bargain.
I don’t think Watson, Crick or Einstein will go to hell for their discoveries;
Before Christopher Marlowe exploited Faust, Shakespeare tells us that
The fault lies not in the stars that we are underlings but in ourselves.
@2026 Sai Grafio
