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!

[de_maruf]

ki bujhla
ha ha

[Tate Morgan]

thank you

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Nice piece Tate with a very pertinent message.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you

[KAOlmsted]

Social commentary. Good stuff.

[Tate Morgan]

thanks K Working on it

[Jack...]

A poem for this day and age where fear seems to rule the day. Locked inside with only news of the bad flashing on our televisions, feeding fear with their fiery words, locking doors with their headlines and closing minds of the freedom that somehow must still exist. Very nicely done and appropriate.

[Tate Morgan]

Hi jack thank you. We defanitly need to get our house in order rather than everyone elses

[Balkaran Sidhu]

wonderful write...msg well delievered

[Tate Morgan]

thank you

[AK]

Wow! This poem is wonderful :) it is so well written and I must say, has conveyed its message very effectively. It brought this quote to my mind-
"Help thyself before helping others.
Change thyself before changing others.
Love thyself before loving others.
Respect thyself before respecting others.
Thou cannot give anything to others
Without having something to give."
Keep writing!

[Tate Morgan]

hi dear thank you I wish you were old enough to remember as it was before we had all these troubles

[AK]

:) I have heard but stories, none of which I've seen with my own eyes..

[Tate Morgan]

There was a time when we lived in a idealic world of hope and joy A mayberry of sorts where we came home when the street lights came on and roamed the neighborhoods unafraid

[AK]

How wonderful it must have been..with the recent rise in rape cases, my country too is a very dangerous place :/

[Tate Morgan]

I feel like i robbed my own children of all that was good

[AK]

It wasn't really YOU sir..

[Tate Morgan]

No buit my generation the ones who enjoyed all those things are the ones who now sell thier own children souls for corporate madness

[AK]

I guess so..

[Dayran]

There's a classic argument between Confucius and Lao Tze in the books. Confucius advocated good government, while Lao Tze viewed the development of the individual as the basis of good society. I believe its still a matter of ' what you can do for your country.' Great write Tate.

[Tate Morgan]

So glad it made you think It does me too

[-----]

I read a purity and truth here. Very well penned, Tate.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you Leona

[A Soap Mess Stories]

Such s true open...thanks for sharing, Tate.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you