Well, you know
you are late.
It seems deliberate
and you knew
what you were doing.
Ordinarily lateness
is a call for disciplining.
However, looking at it
from your viewpoint,
it is recommended to be excused.
It is, as you reckoned,
a bleak world you face.
It is the old Aegean stable story
all over again.
On the Earth’s dirty floor--
floods, recessions, poverty, wars,
racism and ill health.
And this time
you can’t depend on the river Styx;
it went climate-change dry.
To a new arrival
reason would seem useful,
but it is not often used. .
Because the bottom line
of profit and greed
is the trump solutions.
But bad as it looks
you came with a special palate
to paint a brighter future.
You had the very good luck
to arrive with
a full set of fine tools.
You have eyes to see reality.
You have ears to listen to wisdom.
You have a strong brain to search for
and know truth.
You have a stout heart
to lead the cheer of:
“ I shall overcome”!
You have the raw material
to develop the ability
to dance with grace
and move the barriers faced.
All this and more.
The music in your head
will always sing
of hope and promise.
Fine steel is tempered
with great heat.
Fine men are tempered
by tough challenges.
Success in life is facing
those challenges
and doing the best one can.
Doug Minnis
August 17,2010