I awoke to a serene setting
before me a picture of peace
that, among all the creatures of earth

The lion no longer sought
the meat of the lamb

The hawk and rabbit helped each other
raise each others young

The killer whale was nursing
a baby seal

The camel and the mouse
no longer had a question
of who led who
as they together crossed the river
in agreement

As I watched I began to notice
I was the only one of my kind
there were no other men

Those who were normally
at odds with each other
were nowhere to be seen
yet I felt at peace

Was I now the culmination
of all cultures
of all races
of all people

To dream

In the morning silence
sitting alone
well my wheezing cat is here beside me
but otherwise alone

Memories of my earlier days
seem to enter and exit my thoughts
seldom present long enough to dwell upon
unable to be opened fully
that I may enjoy those which had shaped
the good and positive portions of my being

The bad times
those that shaped the negative within me
they never leave
they're always with me
yet they were lessons that needed learning

These lessons
their very memories
repulsive as they are
move me toward an acceptable behavior

I don't even want to think about
reliving the moments that brought them

In continually moving away from these times
unto times that spread happiness to others
I am able to express my thankfulness
that I learned to pay attention

You see the pain of the negative
and not wanting another to experience it
opened the heart
and freed my spirit

Maybe the fleeting memories
those that I thought I wanted to dwell on
though grand
maybe they're not the important ones

Maybe it's the memories of hard times
that keep me on a road
that makes a difference

There is pleasure
in the gain of praise

Try not to think you have arrived

There is sorrow
in the loss from blame

Try not to think you are a failure

Understand that the winds
blow from many directions
bringing with it
pleasure and sorrow

Tranquility can only be found
when we learn to stand
in the midst of the winds
and rest as a giant tree

I see him
he's different
my judgment
misleads
for I repeat to myself
the words of another
the words of the bigot
who taught me

He knows not of my mind
I have not spoken
my beliefs aloud

He does not see
the darkness
within my heart

Why is it
that he can continue on
with a smile
while I harbor
a feeling of distrust
because of our differences

If we had been allowed
to be thrown together
while we were children
we would never have known
that there was anything
different to judge

My judgment
has destroyed
the man that I
was supposed to be

Oh to laugh
to have a day of joy
but the world will not allow it

When will I learn to leave the news behind
all trace of it

A better question

How can I leave it behind

There has been so much of the bad
my spirit has been beaten with

Each item ingrained within me

An attempt to shelter myself
leaves me with the memories

My task must be to go forward
without depressing over that which is behind

It was written
that nothing from without
that enters into a man
can defile him

Yet I cannot move past
the inhumanity of today's world

There is no escape
from what I have seen and heard

Will we ever together find joy
and laugh as an innocent child

It seems they're so filled up with hate
for those who are a little different
that they'll stand right there in the way
of rights and equal treatment

It's not just here at home
concerning minorities and the homeless
and to try and open their hearts
seems like something almost hopeless

They claim the moral high ground
while they practice all this hate
their goal is a theocracy
I hope it's not too late

Right now we're seeing congress
undermine affairs of state
they're posture calling for more war
for this I fear our fate

Yet they claim they're Christian
and these ways of theirs must cease
change their direction from this hatred
and for once, work toward real world peace

With each budget cut
the homeless have grown
more mental illness on the streets
it's an outcome we should have known

Then the next step
to prisons they're sent
for violations and crimes
never understanding the laws they have bent

Whose fault really is it
when this problem's ignored
the mentally disabled require care
rather than the state cutting the cord