Monday, January 5, 2015

IT IS OUR DIVISIONS THAT DIVIDE US



LET GO THE “YOU” SO I CAN BE AS GOOD AS “ME”

It is not the mind of the faint of heart
that is weak
but rather the reach of the arm.

One can see to dream,
to envision a greater place
with no division
but it becomes a wearing task
to stretch and search always and forever
coming short of the ideal.

Lower the bar, or stay the bar open longer,
is a solution for them who cannot quite grasp
that peace must come at great cost
at a loss enough to pay the price
for the harmony we seek.

I want to live, to live and not faint for trying,
 even if it’s easier to just give up
stand still crying over all the pollution surrounding me.

Weakness comes from silence,
from the willingness to let the evil win
when good should prevail.
We are a grown up nation now,
but lost our childlike innocence
not with a preponderance of evidence
but our solution of clinging to violence
as our first and last source of conflict resolution.

Where does this bitter hatred come from
that always will stand between us,
that always keeps us apart?
There is more to it than simple rich and poor,
have and have nothing,
you wearing a tuxedo
while I am clothed in shreds of nothing.

Worthwhile is a strength,
proven is a voice
not of personal power but the one that delineates
the choice we have,
the picks we make.

Do we truly want freedom and how is that defined,
what tools are we willing to use to smelt it
and see that colossus refined
from the ore of the mind, the needs of the heart?
All men are born naked and should live that way too.

Openness and acceptance
of the differences between the “me” and “you”
is that which makes men free
from the poverty of the unjust thinking
“me” is better than “you.”

This is the thought
that precludes our singular greatest weakness
and crushes the growth in the faint of heart.

© M Durfee
1.5.2015

6 comments:

  1. I think equality among men is a myth, and peace & understanding will always be a challenge for us ~ We try to bridge the gap, but there will always be differences of views & that attitude of "me always better than you" ~

    Enjoyed your reflections Mark ~ Happy New year ~

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  2. equality does not mean equal...and freedom is found more in our individuality than our collective....though it is through our collective efforts that we accomplish much...unless of course we lose that individuality....

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  3. Mark, freedom and equality is in our personal hearts. As long as there is emotion involved, there will always be differences real-real or perceived. xo

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  4. Very nice--lots in here that causes me to ponder. I really like the lines: "We are a grown up nation now,
    but lost our childlike innocence
    not with a preponderance of evidence
    but our solution of clinging to violence
    as our first and last source of conflict resolution."

    So true.

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  5. mark, it's the damn dualities: us and them, black and white, good and bad. we for only foolish reasons keep trying and wanting to land on some absolute.

    i sense a softness in this poem, as if you offer a hint of what can be done. you are a sage in your own way, mark. i for one am very glad to know you.

    AND! i wish you a happy new year

    love
    kj

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So Walking Man I was thinking...