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For every House of Hope and Mercy
There is a front door and a back.
The bodies come in
And then -
They go out.
It is a tiny Mercy
For the laudable want of Hope.

I have egged that House on days my humor was darkest;
But it was not I who stained the windows.

For every Den of Inequity
There is a front door and a back.
The bodies come in
And then -
They go out.
It is a tiny Hope
For the lecherous want of Mercy.

I have laughed at that Den when it's lighted signs were brightest;
But at least they know what they're selling.

I really like this. I love the parallels you have going on here. It is something I appreciate a lot in poetry. It gives is a more formal feeling, something that I think works really well for the subject matters. I also like the way you've played with capitalization here, personifying the ideas of Hope and Mercy in interesting ways. Great use of "bodies" as well in all of its meanings and connotations. I really like your choices in this poem a lot and am sure I will be thinking about it for days. Excellent work! I hope to read more of your work soon.

Thanks so much for the kind words. Also, I thought I'd mention that the title of this and subsequently the poem came from reading Kurt Vonnegut's novel Cat's Cradle.

I really like the idea here. Very nice.