Because I can’t see,

I’m depending on you.

I can’t see you approaching,

so I depend on other senses.

I hear your voice

and gravitate toward you.

I smell you as you pass

and follow you.

You offer me treats,

but you need to touch my

mouth so I can take them.

You sit on the floor,

call my name.

I’m rewarded with belly rubs

and soft, kind words.

I am 16.

I am blind.

I am a beloved pet.

I’m depending on you,

your kindness, your understanding.

Because I can’t see.

“Be sure you get gas.”

We will.

“Did you do the laundry and get the boys to help?”

Yes, I did and we did.

“Did you get the papers run off to verify income for me?”

Yes, we did and they are on the table, ready.

“Did you pay attention to what was said to the manager?”

Yes, we all listened.

“Did you get the kids their coloring book and pencils and crayons?”

Almost forgot but did remember.

“Did you set up ice water for this heat and running errands?”

No, but we will.

“Geez! do I have to tell you EVERYTHING?”

No words, just running to get ice water and make sure errand stuff is handy.

“Make a circle, and don’t waste time or gas.”

We will.

“Be sure you take notes at the doctor’s office.”

We always do.

“Let the dog out and relay your info.”

Done.

“What do you kids want for dinner and remember you have to eat it all.”

Silence at the thought of eating it all.

“Fine. SOMEBODY CHOOSE. NOW.”

Whew! Supper is over.

“You did a good job coloring. Tomorrow draw your own pictures to color.”

Sighs. Then…

“Sue do we ever make you happy?” from our little girl.

A half-smile appears from the Enforcer.

“Why would I stay here to order you around if you didn’t?”

Our little girl smiles in return.

“I like it when you smile. Even if only a little,” our little girl says.

Another sly smile from Sue, then,

“Yeah, well don’t get used to it. We got work to do. Come on kid.”

We all smile–and get back to work.

That’s why we like our Enforcer.

She really does care about us.

They speak of horrendous conditions children and babies, literally babies, are living in. We hear of sickness, sleeping on floors, lack of food, children of tender ages being told to take care of even younger ones. We hear the defense that says Democrats are to blame. Debates need to take place to reform the immigration laws and processes. There needs to be better management within the corrupt system. Super! Great! But children are living in deplorable conditions and have less than the average pet owner bestows on their pets! This is sick, intentional cruelty.

ICE and the government have decided they will no longer keep track of deaths. Sound familiar? Remember your history? Read up on the dictators globally. Read up on genocides that have taken place. Read how many were brought up on crimes committed in these genocides and how they claimed they were “just following orders.” Remember how many stood by silently as others “followed orders.” Remember how families were torn apart, children slaughtered, human beings regarded as non-humans as they were tortured, abused, worked literally to death, then murdered. This is supposed to deter them from polluting the country they came to or called home or whatever was convenient as an excuse for inexcusable behavior. Sorry, but the last we heard, a human is a human, no matter how much you degrade or debase or name-call them vermin, etc. They are still a fellow human being.

A lot of hate has been spread. A lot of discrimination and politics have been thrust on all citizens of the USA. People have made choices. Some are all for what has occurred and many of those have committed hate crimes, mass murders, numerous offenses against their fellow persons in the name of a hate ideology. Many have chosen to watch, some have been upset, but choose to use the vote to stop the hate, etc. But the game has changed and now there is a choice to be made because lives are literally at stake–the lives of children.

Trump and his GOP blame the democrats. The democrats blame the current administration for its cruelty. Both are right. The democrats should have stopped this when family separations started. The current administration is to blame using cruelty to children as a “deterrent” to immigrants seeking asylum in the United States. Others are to blame, also. Regardless of political party, those that proudly carry the banner of being “Pro-Life” are or should be held accountable and responsible. These are little LIVES. Living beings that are innocents and have no idea what is happening to them nor why. Where are the Pro-Life people? Why are they not demanding that these lives are sacred? Surely as sacred as the fetus in a womb. The others are those that CLAIM Christianity. Where are those that claim to follow the teachings of Christ? He did not advocate let this child be taken care of and let the others rot in cages. At least not in the Bible that is in print currently. Would these Christians be thrilled to meet a returned to earth Christ if he were to return to see how these children are being treated but they do nothing, say nothing, to help or defend these children?

The others who must share in the responsibility of these children being held and abused and mistreated in these concentration camps that are supposed to deter immigration are those who stand by silently. They reason that there is nothing they can do. They reason it is not their children or grandchildren and yes, they are sorry, but life goes on. Vacations are still taken, road trips, weekends to relax. After all, it doesn’t personally affect them or theirs. So they will wait for the next election to vote out the offenders. And how many children die between then and now? How many spirits are broken irreparably in these cruel concentrations camps with atrocities being committed daily, hourly?

There is a wise person known to us that we sought counsel from in this since we were enraged and heartbroken over this cruelty to children–CHILDREN. This wise person was sad also, but said, “Each and every soul has the ability to choose. Not one person is denied making a choice. Those that choose to be cruel, to spread evil, hate and divisiveness make their choice. Those that choose to do nothing to stop it also make a choice. Those that try to stop it, change it, make a choice. All must live with the consequences of their choices. Sadly, silence and inaction as the choice reaps only more cruelty to the innocent and defenseless. But all do have that choice. Again, all will reap the consequences of their choices. And many will suffer for it.”

This was not comforting, but rather heartbreaking and frustrating. And yet, it was honest and true. We all do have choices. And we see how not only our decisions affect us, but also others. And others’ choices affect us individually. If I am a person of color and someone who is a white nationalist decides to harass or harm me, I have little recourse as a white officer of the law, or a white judge or jury, may feel the same as my attacker and simply allow it or enforce the same actions under the guise of justice. So their choices could very easily cost me my life and great damage to those who love me and are associated with me. Likewise, now we are looking at children suffering the consequences of choices made. Choices made by people in power and the average adult citizen. They are LIVING WITH THE CONSEQUENCES OF CHOICES MADE BY PEOPLE THEY WILL NEVER SEE. And yes, they too, these small souls, have a choice, too. Some will choose to keep hanging onto hope they will see their family members again–or they will simply give up because their spirits are broken. No child should have to choose between these two offered options. Let this sink in. The child can choose to hang onto hope or give up, broken by the choices adults made for them.

So what can be done? You can speak out. You can keep calling the legislators demanding action and quick action before more children are lost. You can write, paint, sing songs of protest when you can’t march or physically go to the camps or the seat of government. Choose to let your voice be heard however it can be or choose to be silent. Then live with the consequences.

It has been said that for evil to flourish, all it takes is for the good to be silent. Choose. Then live with it. Just remember, children are suffering and dying in the meantime.

They look up into the dusky sky.

The full moon hangs low as the darkness slowly descends.

The two stand there looking–

They shudder, their eyes never breaking from the moon’s image.

Quietly, they agree it is time.

With a slight shrug, they turn.

“We must watch and be ready,” says the younger warrior.

The older warrior nods in agreement.

Protect and defend.

That’s what warriors do.

The warriors are ready.

You lock yourself in your room.

I’m trapped inside my mind.

You say you look forward to something,

while I’m afraid of what I might find inside.

You talk of plans you’ve made,

of places you want to visit and go to.

I spiral downward inside toward darkness

through no choice of my own.

You smile, you laugh, you roll

with whatever life throws at you.

I watch, unsure, afraid

and want to grasp your hand as an anchor.

You go to your room to ground yourself

alone and unafraid of what your heart tells you.

I float in freefall as I spin,

unaware now of up or down, sky or ground.

God it’s cold and dark–

No rest. No peace.

by Daniel

So much can happen in a day,

Lunch with a friend,

Bills to be paid.

Errands to run,

Baby Sara for a walk.

Our one has to go to the dentist,

Pain and bad memories for her,

We’re too far away to help.

Notes written, questions noted.

Anticipation of the new day–anxiety.

Share, go inward, love Sara.

Stay away from the news, stomach grinding.

Where or where is the magic wand?

How to make things smooth, right?

Tomorrow will be faced

but do need that magic wand!

Sometimes hunger can be sated,

eat more, eat more often–if it is physical hunger.

But what about that Hunger to learn?

To know more and more,

read more and more?

Scouring the archives of literature

long ago written but new to you?

Reading to be informed, to LEARN,

to escape, to think, to find your own essence.

We feel this hunger, cannot quell its demands

for more and more, gnawing our innards.

We learn of nature, of the stars,

of great souls that had the same problems in another time.

We learn how they coped, what they did–by reading their thoughts.

And we are inspired.

Poets of yesterday, poets of today–

Thoughts and hearts exposed on the page with words.

And we know we are not alone.

There is hope that has carried on before us

and will carry on after us.

We Hunger for this and know we will never have our fill or be sated

as long as one more book is to be read,

one more poem to be pondered.

To laugh is to Risk–appearing the fool.

To weep is to Risk–appearing sentimental.

To reach out for another is to Risk–involvement.

To expose feelings is to Risk–exposing your true self.

To place your ideas, your dreams before the crowd is to Risk–their loss.

To love is to Risk–not being loved in return.

To live is to Risk–dying.

To hope is to Risk–despair.

To try is to Risk–failure.

But Risks must be taken,

Because the greatest hazard in life is to Risk nothing.

The person who Risks nothing,

Does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing.

He/she may avoid suffering and sorrow,

But he/she simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow. love–LIVE.

Chained by his/her certitudes,

He/she is a slave, he/she has forfeited Freedom.

Only a person who Risks is Free.

Are you willing to RISK?

If…I had a hammer…

If…I were a rich man…

If…I could go back–

But we can’t.

We are here, now,

Today, tomorrow,

and the tomorrow after that.

There are no ifs, only what you have now.

We move or we stagnate.

We try or we give up.

We cannot build on ifs.

The only question left is–

If not NOW, when?

We all live in different worlds. We have friends who live in their heads and those who live from moment to moment. There are also those who live in a self-protective bubble that shields them from unpleasant things and those who seem totally incapable of setting up any type of shield from all events–good or bad. So what worlds do we live in?

We live in an inside world that knows no time or space. We have a campfire, a reflection room, a blue room made of pillows for comfort, a space of total blackness where there is absolutely no sensory perception, and a ring of rocks set up where each person has their own rock around the fire to sit on. Cool, huh? We have trees, running creeks, and if we travel toward light, the meadow and a spiritual guide. We very much like our inside world unless dreams that are not kind from the past enter, and then we live with a grey cloud hovering about us. When we feel safe and loved, our inner world has light that is not oppressively bright, but lets us see happiness, beauty, and hope. You may question how one sees hope–but it is seen. It shines on the faces with the smiles and sparkling eyes, opened wide to take it all in. It is in the freedom of movement without being poised to run or trying to shrink oneself to the point of being almost invisible. It is speaking aloud, laughing, fist bumps, shoulder bumps, and yes, hugs. It is a world of dirt, mudpies, grass that tickles your legs, and clouds with animal shapes. There are no bathtubs, as the dirt magically falls off when you decide to have one of the never-ending PBJ sandwiches or cheese chunks. There is a robot gramma with an never-ending supply of cookies in her apron that each of us relish. It is full of glasses of cold milk, icy cold water, soothing hot teas, hot chocolate with marshmallows, and soft laps where tired little people can rest their heads and a spirit animal they can snuggle with. All trees are able to be climbed, waterfalls can be played in, ponds swum in. It is a happy place when we feel safe and loved.

But our world inside can also hold shadows and unseen terrors when we have been in the outside world. We go out to work, socialize, talk with friends in what they call the real world. We sense the pain out in the outside world, the hunger, the sickness, the hate that others exhibit and its victims. We cry. We hurt for each of them. We take on their fear and desperation. We help where we can and in our fear for them, we try and try to make it right for them, and thereby for us. But it seeps into us and when we go back inside, it sticks to us, in us, and we bring a greyness into the inside world. It permeates all of us, all of our inner world. It fills the whole inner world with despair, fear, and tears upon tears. How do we combat it? We wait to hear that voice that brings peace and hope back into our world. We hear her speak from the outside world and slowly, ever so slowly, the light comes back as we step outside, however fearful, to bring her love, her safety back into our inside world. She has a spiritual essence of hope and protection and love that fills our ravaged spirits and allows us to balance our world again.

One might read this and think we are delusional–living in fantasy or despair and see no hope for stability for us. But everyone lives within and without. The only difference is we recognize the spirits that invade and torment and the spirits that come in quietly, soothing and calming. Animals can bring those spirits to us. Birds can also. Mother Nature can bring strength with her spirit that includes all emotions–rage, calm, peace, struggle–and let us acknowledge that these are imbued to all breathing creatures. Life is ground into reality with the connection of spirits real, vibrant, essential–if we are aware and allow it. Spirits can be evil or good and therein lies the choices to be made. We choose the light, the good, the safe, the comfort of being loved.

Which worlds do you live in and what spirits do you choose?