Men and The Goddess

And first, the “And More…” I’ve been reviewing 2012 and all that’s happened during this year of transformation. Not an unusual thing to do! I want to share this as it leads into my Monday Poem this week.

2012 was a momentous year in so many respects. It was a watershed year for us, for our business (we actually turned a profit this year!), for our big move, for the family and our community, for the Nation and the World. Great changes have been initiated. President Obama’s election to his second term is incredible as I look back on it, considering the odds and the money against him. But here he stands as the continuing 44th (there’s magic in this number!) President of this country. Will he be able to accomplish anything? He has already accomplished much as the first black President. There are powerful monied forces arrayed against him. But the power of the people is yet to be truly felt in this country. It is coming.

My biggest concern is the war machine. Yes, there may be big power linked in with the oligarchs and their huge trough of money. But the real power is tied to the defense industry and this worries me. Clearly the spending on weaponry and war is out of control. And the only reason for more is to spend the stockpile of what has already been built. War is necessary to keep the flow of funding and materiel moving; expend it by using it and selling it, arming the entire world with enough arms to blow us all to hell.

And then there is the other war, on Mother Earth herself. When she strikes back perhaps she will win both wars with one blow. I almost wish the day would come soon to put an end to the madness of both wars!

The will of the Mother is her own. She will keep her own counsel, throw out hints of her power as reminders that we need to pay attention and pull back from our war on her. Will we take in such action? Will events like Hurricane Sandy that devastated parts of New Jersey and New York spur action or recede in our fickle and short-term memories as a passing storm, record or no record? The victims will remember but they are the least powerful to accomplish any turning away.

And the gun violence? Will it turn minds? Yes, a few; the senseless murder of children may actually break through some  hearts of stone. Will there be enough votes to pass even the weakest of responses, or will the perpetrators of violence win again through their bold threats to unseat those who could do something about the gun epidemic? But even the strongest responses won’t stop the violence. The root cause is too deep; it is mired in the sickness and darkness at the very heart of this country. It was founded through genocide and violence. That core disease is very much alive today and is the base for both wars we wage – the war on ourselves and the war on nature. In the end they can be seen as one war. We are, from the beginning, All One. When we look in the mirror of our neighbor’s face and pull the trigger we kill ourselves. The genocide is suicide. The ecocide is suicide.

If they only knew!

And now for the Monday Poem:

Two Wars?

The Defense Industry is out of control.
Is there no stopping it?
The arms must be expended:
Sell them, arm the world;
Against?
Shoot them, kill the terrorists;
Enemies?

Humanity is out of control.
Is there no stopping us?
The Earth must be plundered:
Dig for her bones, pump her blood;
Survive?
Burn it, consume everything;
Locusts?

These wars are one war.
The genocide is suicide;
The ecocide is suicide.
We look in the mirror of our
Neighbor’s face, point, pull, shoot
Ourselves.
We look in the mirror of our
Planet’s face, drill, pump, burn
Ourselves.

The Human Race is in a race
Away from itself.
It can only lose.
When the Mother turns her face
Away from us
We can only lose.
This one war cannot be won
By us.

©2012 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.