The grey and dismal darkness
Is all the eye can see
Broken glass and dimly lit
The world has come to be
The marble steps and winding stairs
Have all but been replaced
With the crouching, shivering bodies
Of our own human race
A time where all that matters
Is rising to the top
Nobody seems to question
If the cruelty will stop
The end goal in tunnel vision
Seems utopian, well-sought
Yet outside the narrow viewpoint
Cast aside without a thought
When people fail to notice
The destruction in their wake
When people seem to never give
Quite just what they take
When other humans come to be
Nothing but a stair
On which to rise on your ascent
It cant be branded “fair”
Since birth our parents tell us
Its important to be kind
But even their examples, oft
Do not keep that in mind
“You’ll always come out the one on top,
If you treat all others just.”
The mantra that they tell us
Is a lie that shatters trust
Looking all around these days
At those who run the land
Of those who hold any power
In the places where they stand
So few get there on merit
“Good” seems to always fail
In favour of a harsh approach
A sadly, common tale
The pure appear to only be
So that they can be used
An example of all that’s labelled “weak”
A guide on how to lose
When did we let it get this way?
Do people even notice?
It’s so commonplace and expected now
Even the media doesn’t show this
With those we choose to run the world
Companies, even families too
Becoming so much more bereft
Of the values we once held true
The Utopian societies of long ago
The longed for “classic” form
Held greatness, community and good health
As the healthy, desired norm
Yet it seems we’ve gone astray somewhere
We’ve wandered from the path
The world in which we live today
Is cruel, crazy, daft
The buildings turned to ruin
The sunlight that once streamed
Seems unattainable, as though it was
Just a wistful, fictional dream
The world has fallen to darkness
Who knows what we’ve become?
But sometimes if you’re lucky
You’ll stumble upon someone
One of the very few that are left
Wandering, hurt by the sights
Of the cruelty, injustice and discord
Of the never-ending nights
A little orb of brightness
That carry the rarest hope
These people with their flickering lights
Can help you to try to cope
Their flame may not be enough to rid
The entire world of wrong
But they work quietly and with promise
And maybe before long
Enough wanderers among our race
May find their own lights kindled
And just as how the stars connect
Until the inky sky has dwindled
An epidemic of encouragement
The beginning of an end
Can help to turn it all around
To try to make amends
Its discouraging when its only you
You begin to feel alone
But if you listen to the silence
You can hear its murmuring tone
Perhaps we shouldn’t falter
Be too quick to just give in
Perhaps one day we might just find
A way for “right” to win
The only thing that we can do
Is hold these people close
The ones who carry on this light
Are the ones who matter most
Sometimes they come out of the blue
And jump into your life
And fill your heart and head with light
Where darkness once was rife
These strange yet superb people
Are sometimes all you need
To ignite your own diminished light
And teach you how to breathe
It may not seem like all that much
But its enough on which to lay
Our dreams of a better tomorrow
Which I know we’ll see someday.