at times we are at odds with others
folks who should know better–
we’re no pushovers for their lame incantations
at times we’re at odds with ourselves
struggling to find an answer
something to set us free
at times we look into the deep misplaced sky–
some place that barely exists
except for our imaginations of things to become
and always we are left to wonder
if there is any true goodness that can save us
when we’re in over our heads with no place else to go
In one sense
Entitlement is a matter of degree
Some expect a take far greater than others
In another sense
Entitlement is entitlement
Even those with nothing expect more
While doing little or nothing to earn it
Commonsense should prevail in these matters—
Frankly we should know better
That a day of reckoning exists for everyone
Regardless of their money, influence, other self-endowments
The world can only support so much taking
Without a commensurate or greater gift in return
I’ve come to resent entitled people
No matter their position, color, age, or persuasion
And I am so inclined to believe
That everyone potentially abuses
Their self-defined advantage
Because they’re not strong enough to make it
Without all the titles and entitlement
often i wonder where life has gone
what happened to the years–
both good and bad
all the time wondering–
trying to figure out
if we’re here for a reason
even a momentary celebration
of something larger
more profound
awkwardly present
in all the ways we imagine
what life is about
summer has been swallowed
first by the playful autumn
and now by the brutal winter
the sailboats have disappeared
their colorful sails neatly folded
like large forehead wrinkles
frowning at the blowing snow
and the ice sheets gliding now
where the boats once sailed
just the other day
we watched a lone bald eagle dip and soar
over the boats along the lakeshore
before vanishing into the nearby woods
we marveled at his curiosity
and wondered whether he missed the boats
and the summer
as much as we did
alpha wolf’s soulful call rides the bitter northeasterly wind
drifting between the driven snowflakes
through the tall dark timbers
into the stream valley, half-frozen and lonely
picked up, then finally returned by its mate
poised on the distant hilltop
only the ravens are brave enough
to allow the shrill howls pass over them directly
for them it is music for their teasing dance
to distract the wolves
breaking their concentration long enough
to grab leftovers from the wolves’ evening hunt
finally the hard white moonlight
ignites the pack’s glaring gold eyes
twelve unflinching beacons in all
eventually all voices are heard
and the haunting amber eyes disappear
having reclaimed the conifer forest for another night
Some are born
Amidst the cold–
Deep blue winter snows…
Tipping fences
Bending tree branches
Frosting cheeks–
Pale shades, pink attitude
Standin’ tall ‘gainst fair white Irish skin
Winter child speaks to me
’cause she’s born…
In the world between–
Frigidly tenuous place
Turbulent solitude
Her eyes sparkle
Sunlight glint, bouncing
off fresh snow drifts
Somewhere north of heaven…
Frozen world where we live, huddled
under broken evergreen branches
Ever wonderin’ why
Those ocean-deep blue eyes
Forever haunt me and you
on the heels of sandy hook
we stare into the universe, searching
for a cosmic answer, a shred of truth why
such horror exists in our world
we lie awake at night, hugging our pillow
wishing the world’s senselessness would end
and a predictable world, shaped by our good intentions
would overtake the universe’s insufferable indifference
no parent wants their child ripped from their arms
no mother wants her son to murder other children
yet these things happen–not for any higher purpose
but in an absolute sense everything is born, everything dies
these are harsh realities everywhere–
not just in newtown,
but also in littleton, aurora, chardon, tucson, harlem, watts, london, kabul–
because we struggle against the universe’s indifference
we are defenseless against the indifferent unknown
though we create probabilities through science
we are defenseless against heartbreak and suffering
though we believe, cleanse ourselves through religion
we rail against the world’s insanity and inhumanity
we beg for peace among all people, despite their differences
we cry out at night for justice–
anything but the universe’s intolerable indifference
sandy hook didn’t have to happen, but it did
our hearts break to see the faces of those taken
what happened was unfathomably senseless, yet
it will happen again, and again, because…
all things are a part of the same–
the good, the bad, even the unknown and unjudged–
all parts of an unmeasurable indifferent universe, which
we create moment by moment, breath by breath
we despise our cosmic indifference, especially
when our hearts are full and overflowing
but with all our differences, even our similarities
the universe can be nothing but indifferent
each of us wants the world to share our purpose–
to reflect our hopes, dreams, and aspirations
sometimes we get lucky and it does, and
often and sadly it doesn’t
so when i ask myself why god permits atrocities–
like those at sandy hook, and many other places
i try to remind myself that god doesn’t take sides
and in all fairness, the universe must be indifferent
we have a choice how we live
how we treat ourselves and others
but there are no guarantees how it all turns out
because in all fairness, the universe must be indifferent
