whassup, wretches!

the word "wretched"
seems weird, to modern ears -
we do not see ourselves so.
"wretched"
no,
we don't look around
ourselves, raise our eyes to see:
the streets thronged with wretches,
wretching their wretched ways
through the wretched maze
of their wretched days.

oh amazing grace,
that saved a wretch like me

it used to be
that pretty much everybody was a wretch
or at least,

admitted to being wretched

we once have lost our wretchedness
but we need a new word
for what we've found