#PoetsForPeace will accept your poem until August 31, 2016.
We will combine all contributions and welcome suggestions for what to do with the resulting collaborative Poem…”The Poem Heard ‘Round the World” something that would make Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, and Martin Luther King Jr. sigh.” #PoetsForPeace
The Cycle
by S.T. Ranscht
Dark Age
ignorance, destruction, violence
the fearful band together
to contain, restrain, constrain
civilizing this Time’s
Golden Age
to question, create, explore
achieving complacence
once again
Shadows creep unnoticed from horizon
into unwary hearts that have no fear
or sense of other
or of love
Their first act shocks the world
to flurry anguish settling
to comfortable couch outrage
binge-watching shoot-em-ups
from the fifties
Was that the news
or just another episode
of mass shooting senseless violence reckless hate?
What can we do?
What can anybody do?
It is insane.
I see no hope.
Yes, this is a very comfortable couch.
Until it isn’t
Springs poke through
Too much anger, frustration, discontent
the hundredth monkey finally arriving
after the third act
or the fifth
or tenth
Standing to make room
swallowing their fear with the blood flowing
past their homes. along their streets, in their veins
until it boils
over
away
to purify us all
and birth
another
chance
for
hope
Space, Time, and Raspberries 
This is an eerily appropriate poem for today. We are in a cycle of sorts, and I wish we could figure out how to escape it.
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Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, K. I would love to see humanity evolving in an endless Golden Age. It seems to me the weakest point in the cycle — perhaps the easiest to overcome — is our becoming complacent, satisfied with our accomplishments. Is it human nature to seek comfort rather than live the constant drive of dissatisfaction? Do we stop seeing the need to try when we’re surrounded by shiny new toys that hypnotize and placate us? Maybe we should teach our children and grandchildren to value searching, trying, moving forward in our understanding of ourselves and the universe, rather than to value the next invention that makes life more comfortable, easier, more stagnant.
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‘Monkeys rule’ might be good
At least they don’t have mumbo jumbo
As food 🙂
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Lol!
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Beautiful and powerful poem, Sue. A call to action.
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Thank you, Diana. In a world gone mad, rational action is a must.
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What a beautiful photo to go along with your well-written poem!
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Thank you, Marcia! Mission Bay was behind me, and my photo went through — you guessed it! — Brushstroke. 🙂 The poem was ripped from my hopeful heart.
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beautiful painting
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Thanks very much!
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Oh Sue, this is extremely well-written, poignant, and timely. I love these lines:
“Their first act shocks the world
to flurry anguish settling
to comfortable couch outrage
binge-watching shoot-em-ups
from the fifties
Was that the news
or just another episode
of mass shooting senseless violence reckless hate?
What can we do?
What can anybody do?
It is insane.
I see no hope.
Yes, this is a very comfortable couch.”
What a great entry!
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Thank you, Tre. Thank you very much. I am humbled and uplifted by the appreciation of so marvelous a poet as you are. My insides can’t decide if I should cry tears of gratitude or do a happy dance. ❤
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