The Long View
View Occulted ~ Philip Brent Harris
~~~~~
Peace is Purpose, Nonviolence is Strength, Diversity is Unity, Empathy is Empowerment
~~~~~
Do you, we ever
watch the world
long enough to
see it change?
Or do we never?
Not the ticking tock of
human-constructed clock,
nor the morning,.
evening, all day
news and views
brags and boasts
of pundit word-play.
jibes of late-night hosts.
Do we observe sunrise
from deepest dark night’s
ending to hints of lights,
growing, changing,
glorious colors gaining
and holding sway
as dawn fills the sky
possibilities nigh
as world become day.
Do we, can we sit
upon the beach, our butts
watch high tide to low tide,
see the waves strut.
While half a world away
someone sees this play,
and pattern in reverse.
As farmers there, here,
plant seeds, like lines of verse,
full of hope and fear,
life potential full with care
fertile soil paired.
They feed and water
care for and guard that
young life to warm us..
Here is a promise
of a real future.
Here is surety
of food, clothing,
shelter and more, you see.
Purchased through
hard work and true
diligence. hope and,
perhaps, prayer.
Understand, none of this
will be seen, supported
by the rich-teat afforded
mega-farm monsters,
except hard work, there,
not the heartache and struggle.
No human history found,
beyond ardent yearning,
the need, sacred ground to feed
children and families. Learning
not only to survive
but also with freedom,
dignity, to be alive
without fear from
all we have forgotten.
Our own histories,
our ancestor’s struggles, rot in
their genocidal sprees and
kidnap of free people.
Do we wear blinders,
refuse to see, who,
stolen people, brutalized
by slave finders.
a half-a-world away?
We sowed but all reap.
Were we proud, brave,
when our captive slaves
we whipped, battered,
raped and worked to death?
Till our hold shattered and,
we pretended to free them, then.
as if we had the right.
Can we not see
we still exploit them,
keep them under
thumbs, guns
and terror?
We are shown
violent, frightening,
sub-human clones
that our ignorance
creates daily, narrow factions.
We swear this
isn’t so, but our actions
put the lie to our words.
Perhaps our ignorant,
bigoted leader’s rant
is an ugly blessing,
forcing us to watch
the travesty of his regressing.
His permission for the weakest,
among us to spew
anger, hate, in order
to hide their insecurity. You?
These people,
who thought themselves
special without
doing anything noteworthy.
Too long, they held
pride of place
because they were melds
of other men, who
revolted for their own reasons,
yet created an ideal stew.
They imagined a system,
for all seasons,
which once we worked to improve,
but now challenge, chip away.
We have stolen, removed
its power, and we pay
for our own life support.
We watch rich, callous
people withhold oxygen,
medication, the basics
of living, meet and greet
one another and pretend
they care and our history,
our values matter. While we
know backroom lobbied bribes
buy them. They know it won’t
catch them, because
we no longer remember
how to wait to watch. We
no longer see the long view.
~~~~~
Peace is Purpose, Nonviolence is Strength, Diversity is Unity, Empathy is Empowerment
~~~~~
Please, leave a comment and let me know what you think.
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