A Question for Humanity

a poem by Hope K. Riley

How can we see beyond despair

When the world feels like it can’t repair

From the broken pieces, the broken people

Wandering here to there

Looking for what?

With their blank, ignorant stares.

We all have this knowing

That what’s become doesn’t work

But when it comes to what will

All we hear is berserk

Suggestions and stories of what needs to change

Refusing to address the root of the flame.

We’re grasping at straws

Throwing spaghetti at the wall

While we watch the spark in us all

Die out, fade and fall

Is there an answer

Or should we just give up hope

That we might find a way

To heal the hurt and cope

No, not just bury or cover up with a smile

I’m talking true change, that shit takes awhile

It takes hard work, an internal view

Toward ourselves, our hearts, how we’ve all become skewed.

See the role we must play

In the destruction of walls

Walls created by confusion and focus on self

Self importance, self righteousness, the pedestal, the shelf.

That we think we must reach

With materials and stuff

Keeping us distracted with bullshit and fluff.

Does anyone really care to get back anyway?

To connection, hopefulness, brighter days?

Or is it better to let go, stop fighting for more

Let the path we’re on set fire,

Bring the world to the floor.

So when it all burns and crumbles to the ground

The next generation can build a new reality

One that feels safe and sound.

The background behind the words.

This poem was channeled on an airplane in a season of nonstop travel this spring. As a sensory-triggered human, being surrounded by people can be extremely overwhelming. Being surrounded by people in an airport felt like just about the most suffocating experience I’d had in awhile.

Let’s be real, it’s easy to get stressed on travel days. So many things to remember, tons of moving parts, maybe even multiple people to coordinate with. Trust me, I get it. But…on this day in particular what I noticed was the lack of self-awareness in how we can let our stress bleed out onto others.

I was bombarded with reality checks of how we as humans have let ourselves disconnect from the heart of true connection, from empathy, from walking a mile in someone else’s shoes.

So where do we go from here?

If these words inspire anything, I hope it’s an introspective look at your own heart. How are the words and actions you choose day in and day out affecting the future reality you are creating? Are you helping to spread hope for a better tomorrow, or contributing to the hate being thrown around in the today?

There’s no right or wrong answer, only awareness of what is with intention to move forward in the direction your heart is guiding you.

Do you want to continue to let your pain bleed out and create separation in the connections around you, or harness safety for others to express and connect with you authentically as we grow together.

The choice truly is yours.