Blood Sport

Mankind, imprinted by Nature
and tethered to the survival imperative
remains a creature of competition.
Red Mars stalks the Planet
to satiate the primal urge
of bloody conflict. He has not
far to wander in his pursuit,
meeting and greeting his old
companion Death, arriving and
departing. On slow days he can
linger and disport himself on
the hunt, slaughtering
wild beasts, assisting the
wilder hunters. Failing that,
take his leisure at sporting events
where the losers are soundly trounced
and the winners triumphantly
take all. Never to be bored, he
may enter the political arena
where competition in that
endeavor too is stiff with the
cadavers sitting to rapt attention
heeding the battle cries of
ascendant leaders, whiffing
victory, holding aloft their
coded banners; again the toughest
prevailing. Here's to another
Mars-profitable day in the arena.