the bloated ego and the saddened spirit . . .
Shahina Poovaden

the bloated ego
and the saddened spirit
can lift, float, and find a smile
a butterfly flutters by
wildflower catches the sun –
far and few these fleeting seconds
the common thread, lies broken
When will we see
how heavily we tread

When will we pause
and take responsibility
for what we have become
behind heavy gates, high walls, and strong
doors fattened by beliefs and pride
our breath is not light
When will we stop celebrating ourselves
When will we turn and look
and not recognize the human in there

When will we ask ourselves
why do we cling to the usual?
why do we mouth tired-old platitudes?
our Gods, our rituals, our rights, our this, our that

Right now we are the great garbage patches in our oceans
we are the staggering, stinking landfills
we are the vast deforested lands
we are the dying trees
we are the extinct species
When we will see the monster we have become

When will we stop being ruled by fear
When will we recognize the power to change
and rise again as we can