Lust – Brent Hailpern

Lust is considered to be one of the deadly sins.
It is condemned by those who fashion the rules.
Would is not be an important endeavor to contemplate
The convoluted path that caused the four-letter word
To earn such dishonor?

Webster’s Ninth reports that, prior to the twelfth
Century, the intransitive verb meant: “delight, wish,
Pleasure.” From the twelfth century onward, a subtle
Change occurred. The meaning became: “to have an
Intense desire or need; crave; to have a sexual urge.”

It seems evident that the nobility and clergy developed
In clamping down on the common folk, and, so to speak,
Killed two birds with one stone: sexual urges would no
Longer be considered as gifts from the Almighty;
Instead, the urge itself became a sin, so that the burden
Of guilt already in place upon the peasant, would be
Maximized. At the same time, the older meaning of
Lust would be changed to cause that guilt to magnify.
So no earthly pleasures could be desired or indulged
With impunity.

I submit: “Lust”, as it is interpreted today, should be
Dropped from the list of deadly sins. In its place,
Trade the assumption of “unearned blame.”