A side of me doesn’t want to avoid topics
because they disturb you, or him, or her
I know nobody who wants their peace disturbed
But there’s a lot of anger simmering in people
I do not believe most people want to destroy
unless they feel they have nothing to lose
unless their sense of injustice is too hard to bear
I brush these thoughts aside and gaze out the window
watching the tall pink flowers sway in the breeze
The white rose hides behind the tall grass
shaded by the buddlea
shy
communing with bees and butterflies
My mind is restored now
to a semblance of peace
I am lucky; I have a house, a garden
food on my table
nice things to think about
Yet I cannot ignore the world around me
I will not ignore it
If the first suffragette had not protested
would we have the vote?
If Rosa Parks had not been brave and refused to budge
would our black brothers and sisters be able to sit on a bus
like the rest of us?
Am I the rose, hiding behind the tall grass?
watching, waiting…
Am I the pink flower, swaying in the breeze, looking lovely?
Or the buddlea, basking in the sun
The oak, perhaps, who insists on dropping seeds, willy nilly,
like unwanted opinions?
If I ignore it, will it go away?
Liz Doran, Author 
No, it won’t go away. We need to be more active,… I know I was on the streets with thousands of other students, during the Vietnam War…. but the young people today, at least in Germany, seem to be waiting behind their flowers. A very wise poem… got me thinking. Thank you Serendipitydoit!
It’s very difficult to know just what to do, Angelika, but burying our heads in the sand certainly won’t change anything. History keeps on repeating itself.
I’ve heard it said that history is god’s story, but I prefer to think of it as ours to shape. So far we haven’t done a stellar job of that. Hopefully that will change. I’m with you. I say let’s not bury our heads in the sand.
You’re so right, Tony. We can shape it. That gives us hope.
You’re so right, Tony. We can shape it. That gives us hope.