Balance
It is so very easy to trap wonder in a box
and to view the world around you as a sort of pox
festering and viral like a plague about to burst,
to only see the suffering, to just take in the worst.
Our news is geared to tell us the most spectacular ills.
They profit from the awfulness. It’s we who pay the bills.
It’s true we need to know about the evil that men do,
but once the right shoe drops, we need to see the left foot, too.
What beauties lie within our world like pods about to flower?
What are the kindnesses performed hour after hour?
Christmas will have Scrooges and each glory its detractor,
but as we view the acts of man, grace is also a factor.
We need to stem the violence, the cruelty and greed,
but to view the selfless acts of man is just as strong a need.
Listen to wind’s harmonies. Note tall grass’s swaying.
Find the things in life that make living worth the staying.
“Civilization is a stream with banks. The stream is sometimes filled with blood from people killing, stealing, shouting and doing things historians usually record; while on the banks, unnoticed, people build homes, make love, raise children, sing songs, write poetry and even whittle statues. The story of civilization is the story of what happened on the banks. Historians are pessimists because they ignore the banks of the river.” ―
The prompt words today are pod, easy, wonder and Scrooge. Here are the links:
https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2018/12/20/rdp-thursday-pod/
https://fivedotoh.com/2018/12/20/fowc-with-fandango-easy/
https://wordofthedaychallenge.wordpress.com/2018/12/20/wonder/
https://onedailyprompt.wordpress.com/2018/12/20/your-daily-word-prompt-scrooge-December-20-2018/
lifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown 
I wonder what they would say now?
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The same thing. “Civilization” is the keyword.
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I love the flow of this poem, amazing!!
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Yes, our souls need both sides of the story of good things and bad things. I think we especially today need to see and hear of goodness and love, to remind us that hate will not win out. Lovely poem.
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Thanks, Regina. I need mostly to remind myself. It gets so depressing and yet we must find the means to get enjoyment out of life–and to appreciate it as an incredible miracle.
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You have outdone yourself on this one, Judy. I really love this poem. A little less of the violence and destruction though would improve the cleanliness of the stream.
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Thanks, Tracy. I of course agree!
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Beautifully expressed, Judy.
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