On the Spot

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

I once saw a woman - clearly not young, but not old either - sent sprawling by a man in a hurry, weaving in and out of crowds on a busy railway concourse while chatting on his mobile phone at the same time. The offender didn’t even stop. 

Several of us who had witnessed the incident rushed to help the victim to her feet; she was badly shaken, but fortunately unhurt while displaying a stoicism and spirit worthy of admiration.  "Some people, they just don't care!" she sobbed. "Thank you everyone," she added, "...it's good to see there's some kindness and consideration left in the world. Mark my words, we'll all pay the price for the lack of it one way or another...

 “Instantly, I could feel a poem coming on..

ON THE SPOT

Need to take a pride
in my life, chance any free fall,
all but driven mad
for having so lost my way
in bad times 

Shouldn't stay, but I do,
if only because I shouldn't care,
but I do, I do, I do,
and mind-body-spirit says
“Yes, yes, YES.” 

Could make a run for it,
but it's my world too, owes me
for being innocent
until proven human, if only
by default 

Could throw the fight,
since no guarantees, win or lose;
could try praying,
but if I can't believe in myself,
who can?

Time, cracking the whip;
humankind ever at its beck and call
for going any distance,
made responsible for whatever
on the way 

Humanity, making history...
claiming its spoils of war and peace
as par for the course
by way of reasoning the politics
of power

World without end, its poets
would have us believe, repudiating
humanity's suspicion
that its kinder arts but tell 
tall tales

Life and Death, putting us all
on the spot, having us make the case 
for salvation,
or concede mind-over-matter
its potential 

 R. N. Taber 2019; rev.2021

[Note: This poem began as a revised version of an earlier poem - Humanity, on the Spot’ - that I first wrote and posted on the blog a couple of years ago; it has since been deleted. I ended up changing it out of all recognition and giving it a new title.] RT