I was driving down a street with a friend one day.
We passed a house with a very tall white wall
Covered with purple and red bougainvillea.
I said, "Look at how high that wall is."
But she said,
"I was thinking of how pretty the bougainvillea is."
I wondered why I noticed the wall
And she the flowers.
It's that way with everything, I suppose.
We choose what we will focus on.
Likewise, every technological advance
Gives us a new way to test our humanity.
The latest test -
Viral videos on the Internet.
A skewed version of reality.
The six o'clock news on acid.
The one percent vying for attention
With violent porn, beheadings, street fights,
Live battle scenes, car bombing aftermaths,
And on and on.
I've watched too much of it, too,
Whether out of morbid curiosity
Or the excuse of wanting to see it all
So I can be prepared for the worst
If I cross paths with a monster.
Or so I can see humanity as it is,
Not as I wish it was,
And write accurately about us.
But I almost took a sledge-hammer to my laptop
After something I read on the Internet today.
Responses to a video of a young girl, maybe fifteen,
Singing a song called "A Hero Lies in You."
She was in a darkened living room.
She was wearing what looked like a prom dress
And had curled her hair and put on make-up.
The video would have been unremarkable
But the reason so many people had downloaded it
Was that this girl had a terrible birth defect.
Her shoulder was fused to her neck
Pulling her head to the side
And twisting her spine.
Her left arm was horribly stunted
But not enough to keep her from
Clasping her hands together passionately
As she sang the song with all her heart.
I got the feeling that she was a shut-in.
But despite all the pain in her life,
She wanted to create something beautiful
And show the world what she had inside.
Beauty and joy,
Not ugliness.
There were ten comments beneath the video she made.
Most were kind, applauding her for her effort.
Two were not.
One of them read, "I don't think she was singing.
Someone probably put peanut butter in her mouth
Like they did with Mister Ed."
(A talking horse in an old TV show.)
Another read, "Someone should put her out of her misery."
These comments were made
Under anonymous names
By people with worse deformities,
Hiding in their own darkness.
So again,
As with our families,
Friendships,
Countries,
Arts,
Wars,
Or just driving down the street,
This potential wonder, the Internet
Is giving us all another chance,
Perhaps the best ever,
To show the best of ourselves
Or the worst;
To ascend lofty heights or wallow in sewage;
To create or destroy;
To love or to hate.
It's a new age but an ancient choice
Between the narrow road or the wide.
It is always up to us -
To pity ourselves for what we lack
Or celebrate what we have.
To lament . . . or to sing.
A contest entry
- Is Life A Lottery Ticket? by SeptemberFaith.
500 points, ended November 22, 2008, 11 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 15 of 15
-
Pretty intense writing. Lots of times when I read long pieces in AP (other than my own) I find that I lose my direction inside the piece, but this just flowed and I couldn't stop reading. If I could make one suggestion, I would try to tie in the beginning about how we see things differently -- one person sees a wall and the other the bougainvillea -- this would, for me, make it a tidier piece, but it still is outstanding as it is.
-
Well this 'poem' has certainly aroused alot of longer comments I see. I enjoyed reading your debate with PerVirtuous just as much as your words that sparked it.
Alot has already been said, so I shall just say that you have done well to make people think about humanity and where they stand on these issues. Well done...alby 
-
Amen, Mark. Isn't it just horrible the way so many people never ever leave the immaturity of their youth behind? To be frank, I myself may have laughed at this beautiful woman when I was thirteen or so, but even then I would have known I was wrong. Now, of course, I merely applaud her bravery - and your inspiring sensitivity in writing this. From the bottom of my heart, Mark - good job! - ocerus
-
It is our job as individuals to learn to come to peace with the universe around us. We must learn to understand and accept that not everyone is on the same page, and that some will never get there. Why despair? A sunflower makes thousands of seeds so that if only one takes root, it was a success. The same is true for the enlightenment of human beings. If it takes a billion idiots to produce one enlightened human being, then one was produced. That is a success, not a failure. Nature makes numbers high because the odds are stacked against any given individual, so by having high numbers and large differentials between individuals the hope that one will succeed is great. I look at those who have no hope of enlightenment and thank them for their contribution, however slight, and continue on my merry way without passing judgment. Wonderful poem on a very timely subject.
-
-
Interesting perspective. However, respectfully, I'd say a billion idiots and only one enlightened person is a colossal failure by no other measure than sheer numbers. Human beings have always plumbed the depths of depravity. The Internet is just a new way to do it.
I agree that we shouldn't allow our own sense of peace or happiness be disrupted by the boneheads of the world, but as the old saying goes, "Evil flourishes when good people do nothing." Someone also wrote, "When any man suffers, it diminishes me, for I am involved in mankind." So it's hard to sleep peacefully when the house next door is burning down, but I do know what you mean. I try to stay balanced and happy even while worrying about the future of mankind. I'm also guilty of judging now and then but I console myself with the knowledge that good causes that have contributed to the light in this world (including righteous wars against naked aggression) were usually championed by one, usually unpopular, enlightened person, or a few, who thought in moral absolutes while the billions of moral relativists shrugged their shoulders and did nothing for the sake of feeling good about themselves.
Thanks for your comments. It's always nice to encounter a thinking mind.
Mark -
-
You misunderstand. One does all they can to help everyone they can, but at the end of the day I am only responsible for me. If others choose not to take responsibility for themselves, then I will not lose sleep over their fate.
"I'd say a billion idiots and only one enlightened person is a colossal failure."
Why? Is ten billion stars for every one that supports life a failure? No. The fact remains there is life. The universe is an utterly impersonal place. In the face of the impersonal life has no alternative but to throw numbers against such unpredictibility. I also think that you underestimate the difficulty of reaching enlightenment. But that is a discussion for another day. Thanks for the discussion. -
-
I didn't misunderstand. Some people can see suffering and stay detached from it (or go on their "merry way") and some can't. It's my personal opinion that the ones who can't are more likely to change the world for the better than those who equate human beings with galactic formations. I agree that much about life is impersonal, but that's exactly why human beings have to make it personal. Considering others and their various plights to be outside of ourselves instead of considering all of human life one human family is why the human race is in the terrible shape it's in. I consider it the responsibility of the "enlightened" to keep the unenlightened in line and protect the people who would be their victims. The only reason pacifists survive is because there are non-pacifists around to protect them.
Thanks for the debate. I appreciate the mental stimulation.
Mark
-
-
-
-
I took a big sigh after reading this. I rubbed my temples, closed my eyes, felt the lump grow in my throat, felt my heart beat just a bit faster - your work is profound. It moves me to an even deeper silence than I already know. I don't always comment on poetry - I know I should, but I can tell you this...there are only a few poets on this site who truly 'get' to me. You are one of them. Love, Lane
-
Mark, a lump of anger formed in my throat reading this write, Cathedrals and Bathroom Walls. Sadly, there are those who can not differentiate. They obviously don't know what the commode is for, either. How do they become so callous?
There are so many avenues of thought. Those who have no compassion or mercy are extremely unwise and had better hope Mark Twain wasn't right when he said (and I paraphrase), "It's just has easy to be born a second time as it is the first." They might have to learn their lessons the hard way the next time around--through the voice of experience. One can only hope.
I love your wise eyes and kind heart.
Karen
-
-
Thanks, Karen. It's good to hear from you again.
-
-
I always feel like I learn something, gain a lesson, some insight or are awakened by your writing. I thank you for this. YOu are such a kind person. It is funny, you described the bouganvilla, I said out load, how beautiful...I laughed when I read your friends comment...me too, I would love to see the flowers.
Hope all is well with you.
blessings,
Michelle
-
-
Hi Michelle,
I've been a bougainvillea lover since I spent a summer in Greece and Italy, where it cascades over just about every garden wall. There can't be enough of it for my liking. It fights back when you try to trim or train it, though. I have a lot of it around my house and about once a month, my arms look like I got in a fight with a gang of cats. lol
Thanks for your kind words. I'll try to live up to them.
Mark
-
-
Nice write Mark, I've seen some of the stuff you referred to and like we've discussed about internet bullies. A lot of people are awfully brave (and nasty)hiding behind a computer screen. You wish they'd go dribble a basketball through a mine field. Take care buddy and Have fun. Steve
-
Sunshine,
"So I can be prepared for the worst
If I cross paths with a monster."
The most scary part about that is that it's hard to tell who the mosters are.... they look like the rest of us on the outside.
I choose to sing. The world only gets you down if you let it. You have to do good things, make good choices and know that you've done your part. That is what I believe anyway.
I'm still learning and growing into my own, but I really do try to look on the bright side of life.. atleast try to make the choice to be happy.
You've done wonderfully!
Your friend,
Criss -
-
Thanks, Criss. Of course, I agree with you completely.
-
Adding your comment:
1 - 15 of 15
