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                         Why do I feel uneasy

                         When I see a minister too well dressed

                         Preach from a pulpit wired for sound,

                         Or men in business suits

                         Who presume to speak for me,

                         When is enough for defense, Oh Lord,

                         When is enough?

 

                         Why does the day seem darker

                         When I see a bulldozer in the open field

                         With a pile driver nearby,

                         (Tall arrogant structures

                         Noxious weeds along the shore),

                         Or a homeless stray with anxious eyes

                         Motionless near an empty garbage can?

 

                         Why am I depressed by silly things,

                         Overweight women in orange pants

                         Old old men on tricycles

                         Aliens from another planet

                         Who travel aimlessly all day

                         In their own dimension?

 

                         Why do I feel jaded and spent

                         By painted clones in white coats

                         Who sell the trinkets

                         Of beauty and eternal youth,

                         The clouded vision of a sea

                         That yields its refuse

                         Of beer cans and pieces of jagged glass?

 

                         The days shall pass

                         People will walk in the afternoon sun,

                         There is still a beauty in their movement

                         A brisk purpose

                         As they rush to meet their destiny

                         In the sunset.

                         Yet why do I feel uneasy?

 

 

 

                                                             Jack Mashman

                                                             1982