How many times and how many ways
have we destroyed ourselves?
Was our brother’s name
“Abel” or “Neanderthal”?
Our motives are as varied as we are:
From unspeakable urges
of blood red violence,
to passive indifference.
Anything can be a weapon for us,
from whispered words
to world-ending bombs.
The catalog of our atrocities is long,
and ongoing.
Whether we try to forget it or not,
it’s what we do.
Yet Shiva’s dance has two aspects;
destruction is accompanied by benevolence.
and like our crimes, our healing
comes in many forms
and reaches many levels of our society:
From helping countless multitudes,
to touching a single aching soul.
Compassion, nurturing, sacrifice,
love and understanding;
even remorse
and forgiveness.
All are gifts of our race.
And one more gift – hope.
That we will learn,
so some day
the Phoenix
need not be reborn.
|