Into Tenderness

Writings from Santa Fe

Part II

by R. Noelle

When looking back on our history

and forward into unknown times,

I wonder why we can't seem to live

with level heads

and open arms.

I wonder how one person

can feel entitled to rule over another-

enslaving,

torturing,

murdering.

For belief,

for land,

for money.

For how many years can the earth

take our fatal footsteps?

Our huge greedy feet

smashing,

our desperate ugly hands

grasping.

How long can we cycle in chaos

before we kill each other

out of fear?

Before we destroy ourselves

with rage?

The sacred and the beautiful-

the gifts we were given

have become possessions to hoard,

while little ones disappear 

into concrete corners,

searching for an escape 

from the nightmares.

Those who are bright,

those who are lucky

make themselves at home like kings.

The slow, the shattered, the unlucky

spinning in the darkness,

waiting for death,

dreaming of freedom.

How long would we last if 

the world opened up?

If our minds were erased

and our borders lifted?

Would we turn straight to violence

and the need for control

or would we pause for a moment 

in reverence?

Would we set straight to work

claiming and dividing land

among the strong and powerful,

or would we bask in the wonder

of the home that we share?

Maybe we won't get another chance,

maybe we can't leave our past behind,

but must we always put our 

selfishness first?

Must we live so carelessly?

Must we build tiny broken lives

until we destroy everything living,

or will life 

one day

finally 

break humanity

into tenderness?

"The Scientist" by R. Noelle