This poem could be said to be my reply, mine and a growing number of people, who are beginning to despise the crassness and greed that ever is in abundance around us.
It is a plea to others beginning to see those wrongs around them, to get back to the reality of the season, peace, love, tolerance, brotherhood.


WHERE IS TRUTH IN A LIE

A cynic, you say
No heart, you say
Don’t have a heart, well
Perhaps
Or is it perhaps reversed
For where is truth in a lie
Where is giving in gimme, gimme
Where is sharing in price gouging
What is heart
To a politician that steps on us
The little man, in favor
Of wealth and power
How is it love
When we eat our fill
As others starve
Where is real wealth
In economies built
On what we do not need
Who, what, when, where
Is caring
When we say so what
Reaching for just ourselves
Ah well, what will be, will
But at least I will have my say
Try to live by ethics
Other than what I see
So that
When I say ‘Merry Christmas’
I will indeed say
I love you, brother, I wish you well
I accept your differences
As I hope you will accept me
Yes, and my differences from you
Knowing we are one
In God
Regardless of what he is called
By you or by me.

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From my own life, and working with people of many nationalities, a question has often haunted me. As a for-instance, asking why when I hear of a war and threats of war, one country or another. I look into that question a little bit.


ONE ON ONE




I do see
Love
Shining
In each one of us
I do see
Caring
But
What I do not see
Is that loving
Carry on
Beyond the season
And to that
I object
Are we letting
Someone else’s pride
Someone else’s ego
Rule our lives
For one on one
Man on man
All that nations
Seem to covet
Does not exist.

........................................................................

Many times, even though we see that a change is needed, we close our eyes in favor of instant profit, or we refuse to speak because it would put us in the ‘limelight’. We forgive ourselves for not speaking out because we say, ‘no one should expect us to risk our fortunes, our positions, or our lives, for something with no guarantees’.
Because of this we keep quiet, rich and poor. Who do we hurt besides ourselves? I give you a poem, PERHAPS.





PERHAPS




A child’s love
Is real
His feelings
Are not pretense
And
Left to his own
Perhaps
He
Could change
Our world
But
So it seems
That we would
Perpetuate
All that was
Cheating
That child
Every child
Of what might be
…In peace
and….
In Brotherhood.

.................................................................................

WHERE DOES IT GO




Love
Peace
Tolerance
Brotherhood
All
Echo loudly
From Merry Christmas
Where
Does it disappear
On January second
Of each year
Perhaps
We should all realize
That
Christmas feelings
Are meant to be
All year
While anything else
Is sacrilege
To that
Which all men
Hold dear.

..............................................................................

This poem is dedicated to the wasted years that have come and gone, again and again. It is a bit of a cynical takeoff from some of our Christmas carols, but, hopefully, if we are to survive, be realized and put into practice.



IF WE TRULY DID


Tis the season to be jolly
Tra, la, la, la
Beware man’s folly
Joy to the world
But turn off the television
God rest ye
Merry gentlemen
You have to close your minds
To all the pain
Around the world
First noel, but the next
May very well
Be our last
But, oh well
Let’s close our eyes
Good King Wenceslas
Looked out
And shared with one
When
Will we reach out in full
In brotherhood too
Here comes Santa Claus
Here comes Santa Claus
I hope that unknown blip
On a radar screen
Doesn’t start
The next world war
Then
Rudolph would really
Go down in history
Yes
This is cynical
But if we truly did
All that the season dictates
It would truly be
The beginning
Of the beginning.