Sitting alone at home
In the eerie glow of our
Phone or watching the
World through our TV.
We may or may not care
Because we know we're
not there, but what will
We do when we will be!

But the answer can't
Always be "I'll face it
Only when it eclipses me"
Because we must be
Wide awake and stay
Awake in our research
And engagement with
Others at stake to
Understand the various
Levels of hate so we
Can be effective when
Faced with it head-on!

The past might be relevant
but don't make it your point of reference:
the circumstances now aren't the same
the present is an entirely new game!

You asked me then
what I was waiting for
the truth is
I wasn't  sure

I was looking at the sea
from the shore
totally absorbed
an experience I never had before

such moments are rare
beyond what the mind can explore
the Zen of being in silence
with such mystery in store

and now I've grown
gray and old-- on the same shore
that past moment I can't re-capture
vanished is that wondrous sense of awe.