We're living through the
best-worst, worst-best of times.
A tale of two psyches;
Charles Dickens could never.
We're stuck
in High-Low gear.
We're wedged in
Ultimate Extreme mode.
We've just collectively
experienced the unfathomable.
Four magnificent humans,
on behalf of all countries and cultures,
were above Us, careening
through the dark expanse
of our solar system in
the pursuit of Science and Civility.
While there, they crafted
poignant pose and
framed breath-taking stills
of our 'blue boat' of a planet.
In their photos they captured:
the Earthrise
our Moon Joy
the Dark Side
and All of Us.
In those same
high-resolution images,
— ones that provoke awe
and tears and tight throats
and wide eyes —
painted in those pixels
are the world's
smallest-minded egoists.
The ones who hate more than heal.
The crushers of community and
idealizers of isolation.
The destroyers of decency.
Those astronauts were Up
documenting the galaxy,
naming luminous craters
on Our Moon for their departed:
"C-A-R-R-O-L-L, that's two 'Ls.'"
Writing their loved one's names
into the fabric of our universe.
And yet, far, far Down,
below on Earth:
We people within the pixels
stood on the sidelines
as titans crashed and postured.
Threatening to end humanity
as we know it, "civilization."
And for what?
Co-signed by whom?
When Artemis II crew landed,
they did so with grace,
unsullied by
the mess of Earthlings.
The crew shared nothing
but gratitude and humility
and a wonder for life
and the possible with Us.
And, they emphasized, Love.
Their Joy Train —
what they call the mentality
of mining joy from every incident,
surprise, event and obstacle —
can hitch up even more train cars.
They displayed a closeness
and a deep comfort
with one another
and with our planet
that few, if any, of
the rest of us may ever know.
If only all humans
could be like them.
Instead, we are
caught in the cogs,
grinding between widgets:
War! and Peace!
Grift! and Gratitude!
Conflict! and Curiosity!
Scarcity! and Abundance!
Hate! and Hope!
It's no mystery why Us,
the gravity-laden peoples,
are ensnared, ebbing in circles.
We've lost our True North,
our internal gyroscopes.
So many years now, we've
been locked in High-Low,
blood pressure spiking,
trust dwindling, fear rising,
ripping ourselves apart.
And to think:
we could've had the stars.
But now, a glimmer,
an ember, a flame:
we know now, that
we can have good things.
And we now know:
The Moon is real.
The Earth is round.
Humanity is inherently good.
And Hope is eternal.
Rise up. Align with Integrity.
Hunt for the Good out here.
Protect and nurture our children.
Break free of the Universal spin cycle
and make a hard turn into the light.
