reindeer & sleigh bells &
warm woolen mittens––
visions of gingerbread,
football &
feasting.
the war the President
declared victorious is not
over.
the world is restive
with explosives & dreaming of
a-bombs. the good people of
china no longer see the
sun.
the future of my childhood
that stretched in all directions
to a blue horizon has been utterly
lost.
the daily news is stark––
the projected outcomes
darker.
we are not merely
individuals, but human––
we may be organized into countries,
but all of us live on
earth.
the time to act
as brothers is at hand:
small acts. sacred acts.
acts of wisdom or
contrition.
even the most trivial
wish of kindness for your
enemies would be a miraculous
beginning.