Thoughts of a Seeker

For a great many mothers, Sunday will be a day in which their love, labor and wise counsel are celebrated...one day of 365 but still a day to cherish.

For many mothers too, flowers, candy, candle-lit dinner, shared glass of wine and tender love are not on the menu nor will their children be well dressed, polite, loving and bearers of art made in well-lighted schools to bring home for mother.

For too many mothers, the day will be another day of disappointment, frustration, desperation and fear for the future of their children. And, as bifurcations in wealth and resources become ever-more frequent and deeper, more and more mothers will lie, cheat, steal and hustle to feed and cloth children weeping in the playtime of others.

In North America, Africa, Asia and South America, the wealth of nations is turned to luxury homes, luxury goods, and luxury military goods while child care, health care, and labor intensive education are ignored in the interest of free markets, tax exemptions for the wealthy and prisons for the poor.

To all these good women the Mother's Day Poem below is dedicated. It was written as tribute to my own dear mother who, too often, found herself desperate to feed her four children while my father diverted his pay-check to other women and, too often, alcohol.

All the Forgotten Mothers

The worthlessness of worldly things
is easy when a poet sings;
But if your child is crying then
it's best to have some coin to spend.

To rise above the madding throng
is noble in a poet's song;
but if your child is ill abed
then you bend to bring her bread.

To tell the truth is fine indeed;
In every church we hear it spread.
But if your child has no roof,
Then truth must find a different proof.

For those who never work nor pay
the finer things of life may sate.
But those who work and hurt all day,
the finer things of life must wait.

It's fine to say that honor grow,
and must, before all values, go;
But if you hear your children cry
then out the window virtue fly.

by T.R. Young

I met TR several years ago via my son David, during his first year at college, where TR was a visiting sociology professor. This May David graduates...not with a major in sociology, I might add. David's first job at college was assisting TR with his website, the Red Feather Institute, where numerous sociological/political papers are posted and where TR also has a personal poetry page. And thank you, TR, for sharing these thoughts last year.

With wars occurring in many countries, various armies exhibit no care for the destitute and starving people in their region. Heads of military and of state have no concept of being in service to the people of their country. They are only in service to their bank accounts and their grasp of power over all.

This morning I woke up with the thought of what would happen if large groups of pacifistic people simply "sat in" in Israel and Palestine? Put their presence in the places subject to the most attack? What would the leaders do? What would Hamas do? What would the United Nations do? Who would die?

In peace,
Cherie