The Riders

When the Pony Express needed riders, it advertised

a preference for orphans-

that way, no one was likely

to ask questions when the carriers

failed to arrive, or the frightened ponies

stumbled in with their dead

from the flanks of the prairies....

There were plenty of orphans and the point of course

was to get the mail through, so the theory was sound....

think of those rough, lean boys-

how light and hard they would rise

fleeing the great loneliness.

Some examples of sound theories:

There are plenty of chickens, so what if by the billions they lead lives of suffering?

There are plenty of trees, so what if we lose the remaining forests?

There are plenty of cats and dogs, so what if we euthanize them by the millions?

There are plenty of people, so what if 2 billion of them live with inadequate shelter, food, or water?

In trying to flee a great loneliness, we have become lean and hard towards others.   

My theory, how does it sound?