Enlightenment!

No one walks anywhere anymore.

My self portrait

_________________________________

Waves rolled across the horizon

through afternoon darkened black sky

The world we came to know shut down

as storm winds counted time gone by

 _________________________________

I walked outside just for awhile

to see what the damage had done

Only to find neighbors talking

it was so nice to meet each one

 _________________________________

We lead cold insulated lives

tucked safe and away from others

Too many electronic toys

to visit with our own brothers

 _________________________________

I noticed we don't build sidewalks

no one walks around anymore

Too afraid of the evening news

to dare visit our neighbors door

_________________________________

My friends keep their children hidden

schedule play-dates with one and all

To visit with their playstation

just to await their friends next call

 _________________________________

All you see in the news is fear

"be afraid foolish, there's no hope

Don't build friendships with your neighbors

they might just give your children dope"

_________________________________

We watch as our children grow fat

pretending we don't fear the truth

Yet we remember riding bikes

through the creek that ran in our youth

 _________________________________

When was it that we stopped running

then gave up hide and seek till dark

Too afraid of our own shadow

to let children play in the park

 _________________________________

I don't know what we were thinking

sitting with friends all day at work

Where we hire our private trainer's

to make us look like we don't shirk

 _________________________________

But that one day the power died

I knew the depth of our mistake

We should turn off the fear mongers

for salvation of our souls sake

 

Tate

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Author's Note

I find that great moments of enlightenment often come in the times we least expect them. Then in a moment of Zen brilliance things are made so clear. This is one of those times. The United States news organizations in my opinion are all about fear and ratings of the same. If you subscribe to their theory Susan Smith could be your neighbor. We spend litteraly billions on defence to allieviate our fears over the present state of terrorism. Yet more are killed by our own guns in our own country every year than have been killed all together through our history from terror. Here's an idea quit giving money to the rest of the world. Bring home most troops. Spend those billions finding a way to keep us from accidently killing ourselves! If the rest of the world wants to kill themselves, let them! The tribes of Afganistan have been killing each other for at least 1500 years. We cannot change the way they think or act anymore than we change another in a relationship. I see this all the time people thinking they can change their partners through their influence. It never works it never will, anymore than abstinance has been able to stop pregnancy over the centuries. Meanwhile we go into recessions that effect the entire world. Think of what a great life it would be if we could fund humanitarian aid to our own country, our own retirees. There are as many baby boomers ready to retire soon as all those who are already retired. We need to let the immigrants back in. We need them to support these new retirees. The Government has swelled to twice the size it was in 2001. These people don't pay Social Security taxes. They are payed by us and they invest in a different way for retirement. If this keeps up the only good retirement will be a government job spying on your neighbors.

Reviews

[Bud]

I'm sure I have enough thoughts and opinions on this to fill a novel or two. I'll save you the grief, here. LOL Man, Tate! How you have hit such a crucial, critical, and most detrimental point of truth here, my friend. I feel no pen could capture the truth of today's society any better. My heart jumped a time or two recalling how I, myself , have pondered this very thing. I'm as guilty as the next. Letting the news and like media dictate, brainwashing me with fear to the point of nearly being a recluse. Yes, I hear the cry, my friend! Indeed I do, for I am crying with you! I remember that wonderful park two blocks away, with a beautiful creek running through it. The one I used big truck inner tubes to float down, with the homemade paddle I fashioned out of an old pair of cross country skies. The tail ends nailed to an old shop broom handle. The same creek I spent many hours alone...when even then danger was known to lurk in the evening times before and after dusk. My second home that taught me many, many things concerning life for an innocent young boy. Lessons that last a lifetime for the better of good. I remember unscheduled (excepting for when it was school time) playing times. The only time mentioned was how long I could stay. I pushed to the limits there. I remember never having heard of supervised play times, outside of recess at elementary school. Sad times, that an understatement concerning what has been lost, and rendered being a mere memory for the more fortunate of us. When did we lose that control? How did we let it happen before our very eyes? What were we thinking, as you Masterfully asked here? No apology to our children or any other to follow them is enough to forgive us of our detrimentally grave error. A shame we are sure suffer judgment by those of the Highest Creed! We deserve it, though we knew not what we did. To think, that is just a slight memory of one particular area I claimed my stomping grounds. Doesn't even include the res to the neighborhood and the many, many places I traveled alone. By today's standard, the police would be looking for me with the expectations of the worst. I was out getting the most important and most valuable lessons anyone can learn...form life and nature. The Master of Masters. I do not mean to carry on, but obviously you have one of those with this one that just begs to hear a response from the readers who do remember. This is, also one of those Magnificent pieces that makes a reader yearn to go back for just one day, one hour if that is all that is allowed. Never mind any heartaches or the like. Give one hour of those days, and that would last me forever! How lucky and blessed we were. Who would have, who could have ever thought or imagined times would come to this so damn fast! Keep up your usual and most Delightfully Outstanding works of art!

[I am that I am]

I agree with these words. I find myself wondering why I do the things I do. Where does my fear come from? I see others and think "Well they are they, and I am me. I feel way more comfortable by myself then I do when I am with them." It seems that I am putting myself here and everyone else over there. This in fact, seems to be the root of isolation and seperation between all of us.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you I am glad this spoke to you

[daniel lee johnson]

the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls.

[Tate Morgan]

oh yes so they are neon gods and the dollar bill will never fill the hearts of the lonely

[Kenneth The Poet]

This goes well against Gordon Lightfoot right now. Sounds weird I know, but the music he plays is emotional and stirringly straightforward, much like this piece. You don't mince words, Tate and I think that's why you are popular.

[Tate Morgan]

Kenneth i haven't a clue why people like my work.It is just honest strait forward and done in simple English. I imagine i touch a cord somewhere that resonates within us all. However i find I am extremely humbled By the attentions I receive. thank you

[Veronica Chandler]

It is my sheer pleasure to hear the truth told so well in verse and in the Author's comment. The fear mongering is getting to the point of ridiculous, and I for one gave up my connection to it's rantings and cut the cable off. I highly recommend it to anyone who will listen. It feels so much like A New World Order taking over...squashing individuality and freedom. We even have to have signs on our disposable coffee cups to warn us...
"Careful...Contents are Hot" It is coffee for crying out loud...of course it is hot! We need less government and more freedom. We need to go to the park with our kids and ride bikes and turn off all the freaking electronics. You really nailed this one Tate; from the poetry, to the song and the authors comments!
Bravo!

[MonsterWriter]

It is the truth that people don't want to face the truth in Dark times yet they find peace and happiness in the oddest times well done!

[Manpreet]

Awesome poem, I wish everybody should read this piece. It shows us where we are now, what we had started and where is it taking us. A master piece, Thanks for sharing Tate.

[intuitivesoul]

There is a big problem today with people fearing to make new friends or let new people in their lives. Yet there will always be evil it truly wins through fear in everyone.

[K. D. Kromminga]

Inspiring. But look at who we are, people sitting around writing online and closing ourselves off in our own little worlds. Writers are the most guilty of living cloistered lives. Yet, to hear a writer from this board say these things actually helps the meanings behind those words hit closer to home. Its amazing how much irony lends this weight.

[Amber Elaine Marshall]

You speak of the truth. Society is deteriorating before our very eyes and majority of the world doesn't even realize it.No one has took the time to stop and look,really look at what the world has become around them. I allow my children to play their playstation but I also yell at them it's time to get off and limit it, I push them out the door to play and come in when street lights are on.I didn't allow my oldest to have a cell phone until he was 13 yrs old and even then I only allowed it due to his age so I could keep tabs on him.I can be harsh on my boys about certain things because I absolutely refuse for my children to grow up being anything less than real,solid,respectable,hard working men. I refuse to allow them to have no character or be moral-less or valueless. This world lacks all this and is the reason it's going to hell.When was it ok to become liars and theives,pimps and hustlers,prostitutes and thugs?When did it become ok to disrespect your parents,your elders, your neighborhood,your self?When did it become ok to allow 12 to 13 yr old girls go to school with a ton of make up on their face, extensions in their hair,fake nails,and high heels? I didn't wear any of those things until I was an adult woman. Why does walmart sell thong panty and training bra sets for little girls in the girls clothing department? And they wonder why children are molested by adults? Little girls shouldn't dress like adult women but all they see on tv and in stores around them is revealing fashions and play with toys like "bratz" dolls that look like grown women with hoochie clothes on and a ton of make up and a human being our brain development is extremely impressionable until adulthood where certain ages are more critical that others prior to reaching full development.One of our first and major developments in life is gender role, we mimic our elders which is why little girls "play house" mimicking mommy and cook,clean,take care of babies etc. and why little boys build stuff and play with plastic hammers mimicking daddy etc. this is a behavior we continue well into adulthood and usually stop after high school and hit our college yrs that age where "we find ourselves" so when we have children that play with these type of grown up toys and we have all these electronics and media around for them to see day in day out they are going to mimic it and unfortunately it's alot of sexually revealing things or contains sexual innuendo and children being children will try to mock it but why dont parents control it? When did parents stop monitoring what their children do? When did parents let this become appropriate? It blows me away that these type of things are ok by the majority of today's society and people can't figure out why our world id the way it is today?Really?!Nobody seems to care about much of anything anymore and it disgusts me,such a waste of human life...theres nothing to them no substance,no character,no heart.It's so sad and heart breaking and I refuse to let my children become that way, they are a reflection of me and I am a strong woman I have a good heart and respect and compassion for fellow mankind,my children will carry on these traits and I make sure of it because I want them to pass it on to their children etc.this world lacks all this so desperately and you conveyed that message well with this write. Kudos to you. And kudos to you for recognizing that our world and society are degenerating...

[Mary]

the elimination of external power sources enables us to experience the real power within and to experience the power of others, and that power lies in friendship, compassion, love. It chases away fear. You have expressed much in this excellent poem.