i come to divide my country––
to awe the people
with my power––
i
here is no place
for the wise––
no place for quiet
voices or
calm minds
we've lost our sense
of truth––
we have no reason––
we value only
self––
all we remember to add up
is our personal
treasure
here is no harmony––
no memory ––
no empathy
the serpent advances––
never in a straight line
ii
hell is a sickness
of the heart
how can one man scatter
the promise stones
of a civilization?
banish conscience & character?
mangle honesty to a sputtering
cinder?
let the powerful MAN
do what he will.
iii
promise stones
hammurabi: ... so that the strong
should not harm the weak
amos: let justice roll down like water,
and righteousness as a mighty stream
buddha: i teach suffering
and how to end suffering
ancient greece: arete, excellence
aristotle: eudomonia, ultimate good
christ: blessed be the peace-makers
st. paul: love is kind
muhammad: islam, wholeness,
submission, safety and peace
jefferson: all men are created equal
u.s. constitution: a more perfect union
lincoln: government of the people,
by the people, for the people
luther-king: i have a dream
r.f. kennedy: what we need...
is not violence and lawlessness,
but is love, and wisdom, and compassion
iv
we need to need each other––
we need to want
to embrace all of us together––
to believe in all of us
because we share the blood
of human beings
& the noble helix
of life
all of us are clinging
to a teetering planet
alone in a sea of dark
we need to love our world
& all creatures with beating hearts––
to comfort all who suffer–
& to dab the tears of all who cry
why can’t we learn
to trust one another
& laugh together
at ourselves?
why can’t we believe in
tomorrow & in sharing
sunlight?
we are a human family,
aren't we?
why can't we just hold
hands &
dance?
we were, each of us,
a beautiful smiling baby––
why this lust to condemn
our neighbors?
are we not, one nation?
under God? promising
liberty & justice for
all?
we are dust in the form
of a breathing miracle––
true, we are lonely individuals––
but first of all we are each
other––
selfishness & blindness
are endangering our world––
& destroying the future, possibly
of life
we are –– all of us ––
called to act as we so love
life––
we pledge allegiance
to the blue skies & the white
clouds––
& to our children giggling barefoot
on our grassy plains