Making a Difference

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber 

"If you think you are too small to make a difference, ty sleeping with a mosquito." - Dalai Llama

Too often we underestimate the effect of the little things we do to try and make the lives of others that much better, but it is always worth remembering any kindnesses we perform may well have the effect of sending a message of goodwill which, in turn, may well be passed on and on and on... across generations, for all we know. 

Sadly, though, much the same can also be said for any acts of spite.

Now, we all make mistakes, of course, but while eighteenth century poet Alexander Pope may well have been spot on when he wrote "To err is human..."* it is no excuse for antisocial behaviour.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Will a fallen angel
pick on me and drag me away
or will a gentler spirit have mercy,
come Judgement Day?

Will a wolfish Death
delight in tearing me apart
or strike suddenly if no less cleanly
at my heart?

Will doves of peace
be left to wing eternal light
or an infernal dark, in other words,
out of mind, out of sight?

Not ours to know,
the how, where or when,
but encourage a grown any wiser self
to look and learn?

Dare we unite in peace
and love, let common sense
rule, or trust our leaders and betters
to do right by us?

The greater trust we have,
a brighter light likely shining
in ourselves and on each other, mutual
giving and taking

Where an endgame strategy
devised to put one over on us,
who dares, sees mind-body-spirit making,
all the difference

 Copyright R. N. Taber, 2002; rev. 2022

* From:: An Essay on Criticism, 1711.

[Note: An earlier version of this poem appears in my collection, First Person Plural, Assembly Books, 2002; it has been  considerably revised, however, and may not justify its being called a revised version.] RT

Game Changer

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber 

Crowds of protesters and trolls on social media continue to rubbish the current pandemic as fake news of a hoax. What is it with these people? Agreeing to differ is one thing, denial in the face of indisputable evidence is something else … along the lines of which, as this is a public blog, I will refrain from speaking my mind any further.

People are dying; these are someone’s family members, best friends, kind neighbours … a cruel reality behind faceless statistics.

If people want to protest about society letting them down one way or another, yes, by all means go ahead, but a pandemic is bigger than any society, bigger than any of us; it is a worldwide threat with the potential to destroy all creatures great and small, humankind included, unless a vaccine is found.

That a vaccine will be found, I have no doubt although how long it may provide immunity remains open to speculation, especially given the changing nature of some viruses, and this one is new to even our most eminent scientists (not to mention doctors, sociologists, and other professionals expected to pick up the pieces.)

A reader writes that I should not criticise conspiracy theorists “…as you have done in the past if only because they are a positive force as opposed to the pathetic complacency that so often characterises human behaviour.” He or she may well have a point, but dare I suggest that any life force can effect change for the (much) worse as well as for the better?

GAME CHANGER

Out of the blue
it strikes without warning,
heedless of the cries~
of men, women, children
living their lives
by reasonably flexible rules,
no time for fools
blind to woods for their trees,
will do as they please 

Suddenly, all-change;
screaming brakes applied
around the world
any ambition, aspiration.
put on hold,
humanity left exposed, scared,
its powers-that-be
at pains to appear less uncertain,
frantic for a solution

Plainly, no quick fixes,
the road ahead, likely to be
as tough or tougher
than any recorded in history
while history, too, proves
that where there’s a will, a way
can be found, humanity's,
flair for invention rewarding us
with kinder tomorrows

A plague unlike any we've ever seen,
Covid-19 

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2020