All I can do

I am embarrassed by the comforts of my life. There is so much horror and violence in our world, and I watch it all from the comfort of my home, my family intact. It struck me this morning that many of us share this blessing - we might be concerned about the terror in our world, but we revert to our everyday lives and pray it won't happen to us, directly. The whole thing is so frustrating to me, that I decided to write a poem about it....because that's about all I can do.

A White Robe

December 4, 2015

In the mornings

I don a robe;

White, soft, thick,

a cloud on my shoulders.

Down the stairs

Click on the news

Stopped by images-

Enthralled by violence-

Feed the cat.

An infant saved from icy waters

On the run before she can walk-

Brew the coffee.

People’s screams, fleeing

From a movie theater-

Open the shades.

Troops in our streets – our streets-

Keeping the peace-

Make the oatmeal.

Weapons of mass destruction

Mass destruction by weapons -

Tighten the belt on my robe.

Instinctively

Sheltered by ignorance.

Comforted by apathy.

Protected by white

By the softness of a cloud.