gethsemane

i will permit no man
to narrow and degrade
my soul by making me hate him



g e t h s e m a n e

 
ok, it's biblical
addressing our lowest
common denominators
bi-polarized

it's where Jesus went to die
spiritually before physically
(yeah, kind of important)

so sad

we are challenged every day

the elements can be so cruel and yet

humankind continually transcends that which hurts us

i'm not a religious person 
but Jesus, God -  whatever
i'm a subscriber

despite being
sensationalized and desensitized
hypnotized - purified - sterilized
reaction versus pro-action

i am astounded

at how resilient we are

 and i am in a place in my life at the moment

where optimism circumvents chaos
in a newborn alignment ascending


after the final no, there comes a yes
and it's on that yes, that the future world depends

Wallace Stevens

 


but there's no one left at home
and i believe i'm going to rain


looking back on the home movies
that Dad took of us in better times
when nothing mattered but us
in love with life - lunging forward
captured on celluloid - on 8mm film
(now on VHS tape - not yet digitized)
on a used camera he bought for 30 bucks
in 1965 - just for fun, working for a few months
that summer, before it broke down
where fixing it would cost more
than what it was worth

back when fun - was still an option 
ok, sometimes i took pictures
of them too

silent, all rather choppy, disjointed and yet
relevant

absent of sound and music

.


we are afraid and so we should be
in a world that hangs onto damage in a determined dementia
we rise/evolve/resolve - here today, gone tomorrow
appreciating my British heritage
now in Canada

 

kids with guns in america
beating and shooting each other
still in high rotation - in a relentless revolver rampage
playing russian roulette
with guns that can be purchased
at a corner store

despite all that

i'm beginning to admire human nature
in a way i couldn't up till now
more recently in observation
the progress is real

we humans are essentially benevolent creatures
who love more than hate
history continually shows us
that there's hope

in the ruins
we always rise up

homophobia transcended into a new beginning
in recent events where those who hang on to the past

are left behind
where the storm finally takes it's toll
ending life, prematurely

survivors of the holocaust
gather in remembrance
in appreciation

renewal/hope
moral courage, compassion/empathy
in a whole new forum of exchange
political agendas becoming remarkable resources

despite what we read, hear, feel
adjusting to modern times
where corrections are being made
out of necessity

all fueled by the will of the masses
abolishing fossil fuels/carbon emissions
embracing renewable energy

so yes, good news
the world is changing exponentially
thank god

so many good things going on

 
we're so sorry, uncle albert
but if anything should happen
we'll be sure to give a ring
 

focusing on what works
over that which doesn't
on what's real vs.
what isn't real
  
we're FINALLY getting what needs to be done
more emphasis on ecological and environmental sustainability

dancing in the debate
in what's doable

climate change being addressed in new forums
that challenge the status quo
the biggy in Paris in December 2015 coming 

and so the monsoon keeps coming - year after year
bringing life and death with it
and yet embracing it nonetheless 
because we need the rain
either way

through the floods and the drought
feast and famine, profit and poverty
a time to remember

 

g e t h s e m a n e



this memoir is for my grandmother, and
for our precious children/grandchildren
our future generations

we live in a beautiful world
because we remember
what works

so there you go, good news 
for a change
 

i miss you 


hands across the water
heads across the sky




dedicated to Mona Batho