Poem to the Editor: Times Like These

Times Like These

I know that
there have been times like these.
When the world seemed
to be ripping apart at its seams
and the underbelly rose up
to swallow all that had been good.

I am certain that
there have been other times
like these.
When people did not believe that
things were happening as they were
and there was a price for their blindness and complacency.

I am sure there have been other times like these.
When people were coaxed into fear
and turned on each other
unable to steel themselves
against an enemy real.

We are told that
there have been times like these.
When the strong, fortunate, and conniving survived
and the good and weak were trodden under.
And people had to make a choice
between whom they might have been and
who they would have to be.

Yes, I know there have been times like these.
But now, I have found myself in one.
And I wonder how things will go.
And how much suffering will occur.
And into what harsh and ungenerous land
we will all be cast.

The silent witness watches
As all unfolds.
Absent fear, anger, malice or worry.
Watching,
as the sun rises
and the sun sets.
Oceans roar and waves subside.
Birds chirp and seasons change.
And the heart continues
to beat.

Margot Weiss McClellan

November 6, 2024