Surrounded by life

Surrounded by love

I am;

Hearts beat near me

In tune with mine

And I’m reminded

That this,

This is good

To be

Connected

Still standing

As testimony

To an unwritten future

Moving forward

Wide-eyed and eager…

Hopeful.

I learn through pain

Like a man who

Punches himself in the face

Again and again

To believe it will hurt

It has always been

Like some self-inflicted sin

It is the arrogance

Of not trusting the lessons

Of others

Over experience;

What foolishness.

It is quiet

Here

In this space

So silent

In this place

Between my ears

No worries

No fears

Empty

Like a well

Run dry

Who watches

The watchmen

I do

I see all that they do

Every secret thing

Recorded in a log

Though they are confident

They operate in a fog

They will be held to account

Who watches

The watchmen?

I do.

The surrounding darkness

It glows in the night

And silence is her cloak

Save for the distant sounds

Of Arabic coming from the porch

Across the street at 2am

A neighbor speaks to loved ones

On the other side of  the world

Afraid to awaken his house mates

Not worried for me in mine

This is a single evening

Lying awake in the forbidden hours

Waiting for sleep to chase me down

Knowing it probably won’t come

But a man can dream

Unless he’s awake.

It’s easy
to become a fascist
to become a hater
extraordinaire
when you
put your mind to it

first –
you must become
the victim
even when you’re not
just convince yourself
you are hard done by
tell this to yourself
everyday and every night
and you will believe the lie

make sure
the people around you
only reinforce your pain
let them go on and on
about how you deserve
to have a better life
and here –
just put on these blinders
they’ll help on the journey

once you’re the victim
it’s easy to justify
every horrible action
because “they” deserve it
for what they’ve done
to you

take your brothers and sisters
your parents and lovers
and send them away
for the culprits
you finally see them as
with these new eyes

sure,
you will be angry
every single day
but…

remember –
they are the problem
and you the oppressed
lock them cold in a cage
until they have confessed
the beauty of your numb view
praising this new wardrobe
your emperor’s new clothes

A very kind letter about my last column on profiting from hate.

My column in this week’s Winkler Morden Voice and Altona Rhineland Voice newspapers.

The further away you get
from the mountain
the more of it you can see
until eventually
the whole thing
comes into view

that’s the way
persepctive works
you lose sight
of the entirety
close up and personal
and you can’t tell
what it is

distance brings truth
whether you like it
or not.