Evening Walk

He likes to run and read the trees
for proof of tales he learned from the breeze

I like to breathe the still evening air
And see color bursts in the atmosphere

He leads us down this trail and that
scouring the ground to see what is what
probing around for passerby news
gathering from grass clandestine clues

I faithfully follow after
Playing my part in the slowing hour
Feeling deep green gently fade to gray
Witnessing the world slip off her day

As the last few birds sing to sleep
the light in which dark begins to seep
my friend and I stroll the roads alone
out in day and at night, coming home.

Pouring Rain

Drenched with pouring rain on a warm summer night
holding tight we fell down slippery slopes
of love and lust tangled in passion’s delight.

Feverishly driven forward with no hope
we could ever return to clean calm restraint
where under the blue grey then dark dotted sky
we’d watched our tower rise not knowing why
or where it would lead should we dare start to climb.

Still, in, through and up we flew rapt by its might
and like half starved lions suddenly tore
into life out of breath in thundering skies.

Union

Slowly, so willingly

I lay myself bare before you

wondering, thinking, hoping,

knowing you've got the right eyes.

Steadily, so smartly

I dare to discover your world

wondering, thinking, hoping,

knowing you're bare before me.

Slowly, so warmly

I move forward to feel your heat

wondering, thinking, hoping,

knowing the fire will soothe me.

Softly, so saintly

I go through your spirited soul

wondering, thinking, hoping,

knowing it flows on and on.

Slowly, so wonderfully

I interweave your hand in mine

wondering, thinking, hoping,

knowing your grasp will be light

Assuredly, so boldly

we'll wander exposed to the world

wondering, thinking, hoping,

knowing our bond will guard us.

Child Abuse

Oh misplaced me,
stolen soul
who should clearly be
spiriting near.

Standing by you,
tortured child
ready to rescue
allay your fear.

Free you from pain,
fathomed cruel
societies bane
your real nightmare.

Oh angel guard,
trusted dear
fly past kind regard
set salvation here.

Questions

I have several questions that I would like to have answered by the U.S. President, a man whom I would like to remind everyone is accountable to all of us. The questions I have should also be answered by the Congress, a body that, in my opinion, has failed to ask the correct questions thus far. My first question is, how much is this war with Iraq going to cost the soldiers and citizens of the United States? How many lives in the end will be lost or significantly affected or even hindered by non-fatal injuries? How much more of the taxpayers’ money will be spent on worthwhile projects in Iraq and how much more money will be lost or squandered on projects with no lasting benefit? What are the ultimate goals, how are we to measure progress toward those goals, and when do we expect to meet them? Clearly these are all questions that should have responsibly been answered to the satisfaction of the general population before the war with Iraq began, yet they have never been asked.

They are not unreasonable questions. In fact, I think they are common sense, and I think we should absolutely refuse to accept any amount of spin, half answers, refusals to answer, or indications that this is ‘hard work’ requiring ‘patience’ from the citizenry. Whether we agree that the United States should have gone to war with Iraq or whether or not we agree that we are now responsible for and can benefit from the rebuilding of Iraq, I think we can agree that the people in charge of this country should be held accountable and made to answer questions we deem important. If the government then refuses to provide straightforward answers to the questions asked by its citizens then those citizens should have an opportunity to file suit and have their case tried in a politically nonbiased court. We the people have the people have the power to vote, and between elections, we have the right to question and to challenge those who have been voted into public office. At several points in time during the history of the United States the importance of these rights has been clear. This is one of those times.

Stuck

Stuck: to bring to a standstill; render unable to proceed or go back.

We like to keep moving and are typically in a hurry; places to go, things to do, responsibilities to meet, people to please. And the people we try to please include ourselves. Certainly; mix in this concept of making ourselves content or happy, and you get an awkward situation wherein we struggle with and against our individual worlds. We have our needs and wants and ideals and values and others in our world have their needs and wants and ideals and values and they don’t always coincide. Sometimes we can work together to meet our individual needs, but often we are in competition.

How many examples of this competition can you think of? One only has to think of the salesmanship of politicians to begin to understand the competing needs, wants, ideals, and values of the citizens and organizations they represent. What about the legal system? Why exactly are corporations allowed to act as individuals, having rights separate from those of its members? Because the corporations have needs, wants, ideals, and values of its own that are sometimes or often in competition with others and the corporations have to be able to defend themselves against individual people. It sounds a little off, doesn’t it? The idea that a corporation with all of its members and the power inherent in collectivity has to be able to defend itself against individual people is a legal idea defining the rules of competition. Many feel that the rules are not exactly balanced.

So, in this world of competition where some individuals hold more power than others, how can we ensure that the needs, wants, ideals, and values of everyone can be realized? That is what we all want; to ensure that all of us are taken care of? None of us is any better than anyone else, right? How do we do it? Is it reasonable to expect that it can be done?

Moving forward we identify first where we want to go then determine how we will get there and try to predict any problems we may face along the way. We don’t want to get stuck on the way to meeting our objectives. Naturally, we don’t want anything getting in our way. The greatest problem that we have is our lack of sufficient vision, but we don’t always realize that and if we do realize it, we don’t always give the fact enough credit. We don’t see that we are the problem or we fail to admit to ourselves and others that we are the problem. And in doing so, we automatically get stuck without realizing it. The key, therefore, to staying free is to be aware.

Lessons learned?

Global nuclear war, the hole in the ozone layer, global warming, three ways that the human race has created the potential to have or actually had an extremely detrimental effect on the planet and subsequently, our own ability to exist. Are there more? It seems to me that while it is clear to us that we have the power to significantly alter the world to our own detriment, we fail to recognize the fact that we have to begin at some point to understand at all times the effect we are having.

I suppose that it is easy to simply argue that we can not be expected to walk on eggshells regarding progress or development in fear that we might be hurting our environment. But I'm not talking about walking around on eggshells and putting an end to or significantly stalling progress, I'm talking about developing our awareness of the things we take for granted and the effect we have on them. And I think that we will find greater progress through understanding the things we have to gain from this awareness and all of the many resources that are available to us and will continue to be available to us if we take care of them.

Interestingly or ironically, it seems to me that the answer lies with the Native American culture our society worked so hard to wipe out. The answer lies in their value of and extreme respect for the earth that sustained their lives. That is clearly not the only source, but I think its an important one.