WHERE IS THE WORLD…?
I dedicate this newsletter to my granddaughter, Rebecca. I am beyond proud that her voice has been raised, not in hate but in a heartfelt plea that we, whatever our nationality, political leanings, or religious beliefs, do not abandon our humanity.”
There is a “Chinese curse” that translates in English to, “May he live in interesting times.” Apparently, we are living in interesting times, and it is, indeed, a curse.
We are it seems, lured by greed, by political and religious beliefs, by arrogance, and by the thought of being richer, more famous, more powerful than the guy standing next to us, to disregard the needs of others and pursue our own selfish ends – whatever the cost. We do so, at the peril of the planet and all human life.
I have a long-standing habit of turning my radio on first thing in the morning. I tell myself I’m doing it to hear what the weather will be like for the day ahead. But the reality is, I’m addicted to the news; addicted to it in a kind of self-flagellation way. I punish myself, by listening, for my poverty of courage, my inability to make my voice matter, and the fact that I am “related” to those who inflict the most horrendous and unspeakable horrors on their fellow human beings. It is beyond my understanding how we can do the things we do and yet, the nightmare of war and famine, planet degradation, unbridled cruelty rage on and it seems, recently, are escalating.
As I have said many times, I am a poet. I seek to know the world and find myself, in the coming together of feelings and ideas, through a reverence for words. I seek to understand, to experience and share what I have discovered through the coalescence of that which is and that which could be. There is hope in poetry. There is power in words. There is endless possibility in my extending my hand and hoping that you will, metaphorically, take it, turning me – into us.
I can only imagine what we could accomplish if the peace lovers, advocates of kindness, compassion, and brotherhood could only find a way to come together and swell onto the beach of war and oppression. If we could use words as our weapons and a sense of shared humanity as our defense – we could, perhaps, change the world. We could dispel the shadows, eliminate the violence, and consolidate a sense of connection and care.
A post on Instagram this past week asked, “What one thing would you eliminate from the world? “My answer, “Hate!” “What one thing”, they asked the next day, “would you want the world to have more of?” My answer, “Love.” But, let me add a second thing, “truth!”
Love is not some vague concept, but neither is hatred. Love is palpable, and indestructible when it takes hold, and tends to be contagious. Hate, on the other hand, is powerful, intimidating, and destructive. Truth is the light that penetrates the darkness, the sum and substance of who we are and who we may aspire to be. Free will offers us the ability to choose. Which will we embrace? Which forces will be the ones that decide the fate of our children and their children?
The world of human interaction has always been imperfect. While some of us prospered, others despaired. While some of us were entitled, others of us were enslaved. The world, undeniably, was never perfect but it is my fervent hope that we are enabled, enlightened, emboldened, and empowered by truth and love; defeating the forces that seek only to serve their own interests, promote their own ideas, and annihilate those who stand in their way. We can choose to create the future or be defeated by it. I am a poet. I choose to create…
Where
is the world I thought
I knew
perhaps only in the solace
of my dreams…
…where
is the world where
everything simply was
what it seemed
pleasures
were the stuff
of dandelion chains ice cream
stains not blood dribbled
down the chins
of children…
where
is the hand that stretched
towards mine when fear
gripped me in the darkness
of the night
where is the light blinded
by the eyes of souls lost
beyond the hope of dreams deafened
by the echo
of their screams…
where
is the world of laughter
and of joy where kindness melted
frozen barriers of hate
where I could state my name
out loud
where I came from who
I was and still
stand proud
where
is the world I fantasized
I knew the world I thought
I grew
from child
to woman in
it is too late
for me but you
still have a chance
confront the truth concede
the toll of all your yesterdays
and craft the world tomorrow
names bold
and new unblemished
by the world you knew…
Epilogue
We may choose to
defer love enable hate live
within the temporary triumph
of a lie but we the world
and every living thing will matter
less than nothing the day
truth dies…
Susan A. Katz (All rights reserved)
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