Newspoem
26 April 2000
Bill Wendling
Bill Wendling

Dream

I had a dream.
That all people would come to their senses.
That greed and ignorance would be wiped away.
That there are resources plentiful for sustaining life.
That they would be distributed so that no one would die from lack.
That violence would cease.
That I would be very intelligent.

John Lennon imagined no heaven.
I imagine no concept of me.
I imagine we are one organism.
I imagine what affects one affects the whole.
I imagine the universe is alive, but beyond our comprehension
I imagine a lot of things.

Sometimes I believe I'm a tsaddik.
One of exemplary righteousness.
One of great sorrow.
One of 36 who keep the world going.
One whose loss causes an imbalance.

I cry for my sister.
Does her death equal those of people killed by death squads?
Does her death equal the starvation of those in Africa?
Does her death equal that of those who are tortured?
Does her death ever leave my mind?

I had a nightmare...Or maybe a vision.
That corporations will become the rulers of our societies.
That personal rights will not exist.
That life will lose all meaning.
That kids will continue shooting each other.
That lawmakers won't place even small regulations on hand guns.
That animals will cease to exist, except as food.
That our air will become toxic and devoid of oxygen.
That things go from bad to worse.

I feel...
    a distant hope...
        faint...
            but there...

Newspoetry, the Whole Story