"Find the evidence of those before you.
Destroy it." (Things to Do in the Belly of the Whale
http://www.towncreekpoetry.com/FALL08/ALBERGOTTI_THINGS.htm)
if only
if only we could change the parameters
whereas a month ago
one of life's collective pauses was perhaps
the hush between the previews and the feature film
which was a mere pause between
those only at the theater
with all of us living our own
"busy lives"
on our own
trajectories
what of the pause of a collective tragedy?
9/11 and the New York blackout of '03
were pauses for the greater metro area
perhaps further
if connected by blood
or business
or some other ties
that wreaked havoc on our emotions
but this
now
is a true collective pause
a rolling pause
for the entire
planet
it adds time
saves the time of our commute,
of our errands, of our outings
time which can be used now
to examine
to reflect
to call into question
the origins of our structures
of who holds power
because
this microbe upends us
it can take down the very strongest of us
with a single breath
or unwashed hand
it can prop up the very weakest of us
who care for others
selflessly
and luckily
whose genetics or good fortune
keep the invisible beast at bay
so what if
in this pause
we take time to examine
the evidence of those before us
what if
we take time to rethink
the entrenched
structures
and origins
and strategize on how to
dismantle
we'd have to work together
we'd have to be optimists
we'd have to be democratic
but with strong leadership
we'd have to have a shared vision of
"better"
we could start again
we could take the reins
we could…
but our anxieties will take hold
our divisions will spear us
stifle us
paralyze us
yet again
and again
because this thing
is bigger
than us
and our fears
will lead us
right back to
the already known
the default
the white man's
tried and true
the sixth stanza--from questioning our structures to the beast at bay is really strong writing-the images are so clear-it really gives the reader pause and forces one to think deeply about what you are saying-well done
ReplyDeleteI like the notion of a collective pause, a rolling pause for the entire planet... You raise such an important point when you say "We'd have to have a shared vision of 'better'" Yes - there's the rub! I so appreciate your resolution. I would have ended such a piece with "perhaps one day" but your statement that 'divisions will spear us, stifle us, paralyze us' rings so true!!! Sadly, so true.
ReplyDeleteThis must be published. At the very least, can we put it on the LIWP website? But it should go to the NYTimes or the New Yorker. I haven't read a more compelling poem on this topic.