What A Wonderful World

A Poem

Stars singing to one another Across the vastness of space Through time immemorial All notes eternal Nothing lost Those people who have quieted themselves Against the cacophony of the world Can also hear this celestial symphony

Trees talking in sounds That only their brethren can hear While silently observing the follies of humankind Almost despairing of the indifference displayed To the plight of so many of their kin

Many animals and birds go to great lengths To protect their young Even at times to the point of sacrificing their own lives While in our civilized societies of the enlightened human species Can be found Children dying of starvation Others sold into slavery Some to be used as objects for pornography and sexual predators Then there are the infants who become mere collateral damage Loss of life and limbs deemed acceptable In “righteous” conflicts throughout the world Innocents sacrificed on the altars of corruption and greed Hope extinguished before it could even ignite

The world is so much smaller now Connectivity is part of our everyday experience News across all continents is available in an instant Reports of violence and natural disasters are communicated to all No matter where they take place The result being a numbness to the reality of it all Cynical acceptance An overwhelming sense of powerlessness We are in touch but more isolated Personal privacy threatened in all aspects of our lives

So much loneliness The pain everywhere is palpable Social media proffers the semblance of easily acquired friendships But human contact harder to obtain We are desperate to be touched by another To be seen as unique and special

There are good things happening

Acts of kindness do take place in ordinary everyday contacts Bringing smiles and happy tears to recipients And growth of spirit to the doers When the outcasts of society are the beneficiaries Transformation is a possible outcome And there are those among us who refuse to keep silent In the face of oppression and discrimination We should sing the praises of these spirits of light Who advocate for non-violent action Those fighting to preserve our forests and water resources Those prophets who tell the rich nations Whose wealth often came from the exploitation Of undeveloped countries and indigenous peoples That the planet’s resources belong equally to all These are the leaders who are the hope for the future Among them will be found those who offer a pathway for peace We need to celebrate and support them

My faith is what drives my convictions But God never promised to protect us from ourselves Only that She would not forsake us We are free to destroy the world as we know it Human civilization and the planet Could be reduced to a such a state That it might take a millenium to undo the damage I believe that ultimately We will finally come to truly accept the interdependence Of all life on this planet Accept that we are stewards not masters Hopefully we can begin the renaissance now So that our grandchildren live to see progress in their lifetimes It is already late But not too late We can become part of the universe’s song A hymn of joy meant for all to enjoy