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

">	”>
Available Now	Available Now

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!

[R J Askew]

I like this one the best of the three of your poems I've just read as you are describing life as you see it and your observation and the conclusions you reach are spot on. We are insular. I often think that of my life. In some ways I like it as I am insulted from those I don't wish to have anything to do with. But it is also limiting and, as you say, reduces social contact and fraternity. But, speaking for myself, I think there are too many of us competing too hard for what there is. This makes us dangerous, capricious and ruthless. We are not in good shape. But has it ever been much better? There are just too many of us for most of us to make much sense of the chaos we create.

[Hannah Monttkomepy]

This was amazing. This is what my dad tells me all the time about how he would walk or ride a bike everywhere. I really respect this piece a lot and you for writing it, but I feel like I should comment on why people don't walk everywhere or let their children go to parks.

Now, when my dad and I were walking/running a couple nights ago, we started to discuss this when we went by these apartment buildings in our neighborhood. There are I think 3 sex offenders in that building and 1 pedophile (sp?) and my dad said you would never hear about stuff like that when he was a kid. Also, there are kids in our neighborhood who like to pick fights with people and I live no where near any of the projects or any gang areas. But since my dad didn't grow up with that type of stuff, he and his brothers and sister were for the most part independent. They would be out from dawn till 7 and their mom didn't worry, and they'd travel more than 7 miles from home. If I were to do that today and not tell my parents where I was going, they'd think someone had kidnapped me or something. Not that back then people didn't do that kind of stuff, it's just much bigger now. So, in order to keep their children away from all this, parents keep them sheltered, and buy them all these new electronics and such so they won't have to worry about where they are, etc... (This is one reason though, there are probably many others.) I just felt the need to say this.

But back to your poem. Again I say it's amazing. It truly is. There is so much point in it, so much fact. The only part where I was like 'What?,' was when you had the quotation about what you hear on the news. It didn't flow very well I didn't think. Or maybe I wasn't saying it right in my head, I don't know. That was the only part of the poem I didn't think was quite right. But very good job! I enjoyed it immensely XD

[vandana]

A lovely thought provoking message of fear haunting our lives everyday. Well written poem.

[Austin Smith]

I 100% agree with Gracie Lou. I miss all of those things, and I'm the only one of my family to see things this way. I've been giving life thought that directly corresponds to your poem. That's why I love your poem that much more. 100% rating and many thanks from me.

[*** Hey Jude***]

Wonderful portrait written in a way that I can completely relate to, as I come from a childhood that had a close neighborhood. This brings back nice memories as well as reminding me how people are so very different in this day and age. Time never slows downs or stops changing, for worse or hopefully better. Well done! ~ Jude :-)

[cest la vie]

What an insightful write on how managed our society has become. managed by media, gadgets, etc. This was very well written Tate..

[Lilith des Cavernes]

May I add, we've sold our power to the highest bidder. Disempowerment rules the airwaves... commercials are the worst. Cheers on this poem! Boldly said.

[Manie]

Hi Tate,

Yes, this is a wonderful piece and all true. I'm a bit late with this review, so, so much has already been said. I agree, this is a beautiful piece, and it speaks to each and every one of us. I live in a country where people live in a lot of fear, which caused a lot of things to change in the last 15 years. I remember riding 5km to school on my bicycle when I was still in high school, but today I don't see teenagers walking the streets anymore, and our parks have become empty. Why? All because of fear. What has changed? Did the crime rate increase or is it because we have become much more aware of evi? Is it the media's fault? Whatever the cause might be, I agree with you 100% - we need to turn the fear mongers off! Living in fear is no life at all. It is a better to have a shorter life, but live it fully, than living a long life in fear (all the time).

Once again, there are many more truths revealed in this poem, and too much space will be taken up with a comprehensive review. All I can say is: "Well done, once again!" I really enjoyed this piece, because there is so much to ponder, reflect and meditate on and enough to encourage every reader to look into their own lives and ask: "Am I guilty?" "Guilty of leading an insulated life, not walking anywhere anymore, and living in fear?"

[BABSIE BEE]

I think about all you have so wonderfully mentioned above, every single day. The things I read in the paper or watch on the international news is nothing short of terrifying !! I am so very lucky that where I live, our village children still play out till darkness falls and they are always zooming past on their bikes. My neighbours and I are for ever popping in and out with cakes, dumplings and even sharing our home grown vegetables to make soup with or pickle. We even share a good bargain. lol. We doggie sit and house watch and have bbq's and girlie nights . Having said all this, the fear factor is never far from ones mind, about what could or could not happen and even here there is always something happening. When it comes to the t.v. laptops and the food issue, yes, that is most certainly a problem with some families which I can see right before my very eyes. Oh golly..I could go on and on here...better not bore you any more...sorry. I just feel very passionate also...about such things....or indeed the lack of. Thanks for sharing and bringing this to the surface. You have written this piece so very well....it just flows so freely and naturally to form such a strong opinion but fact.
Haaaaa...the biggest review I have ever written.
Babsie Bee xx

[Sheila Marie Carr]

Very nice, it's these are the reasons why the world is so depressing, "no one walks anywhere anymore" we live in a world that suppose to be free, but we are not truly free at all. This is one of my favorites and your expressions was heart felt.