Ready?
We scrunch down and make ourselves small
Afraid to stretch tall where it matters most
We have seen what happens
To those who dare speak of a different way
Martyrs, it seems they all became
Instead we pretend to be bold
By spouting off the same old jargon
Under the latest veneer
The braggadocio and tough talk
As if it’s courage and not quivering
That drives us to threat displays
Flashing around symbols of power and coercion
Like gold-toothed sharks feeding on frenzy
We are not ready, how can we not be ready?
Stunted in our growth as a species
Doubling in on ourselves
Tender love for humanity, aching in my heart
I am not one to dismiss us as a mistake
Though so often we seem out of step with creation
Little lost children defacing our playground
Forgetting who we are or where we came from
But I am getting too tired to be afraid
That clean feeling of being utterly spent
Liberating me from pretense and denial
Perhaps it is not too late for us
To stop skulking in the shadows
Like masters of darkness
Embrace the Paradox 