A Sea Change

gave me the space to realize
we are currently at war
or very nearly there

Yet we continue to assume,
to blame, to ignore.
Hard to imagine in a time when
so much information is available
we choose (it really is a choice)
to assume, to blame, to ignore.

Friends and colleagues who are busy
with their lives,
Hard working people who are scraping by,
Young people disillusioned or disaffected
(as we all were at some point) realizing
fairytale endings rarely happen and 
our history doesn't always make us proud.

All who feel to some degree
it's someone else's job
to clean up the mess.

I find myself searching for a sign to tell me
that everything is going to come out all right

And then I remember how young a species
we really are,
I imagine we are still fumbling in our youth,
not sure of our path ahead and what skills we will need
or what successes actually look like.

Which is why the sea changing
from calm to turbulent has led me 
to this place of reflection

Anticipating that I am at risk if I attempt
to go into the sea by myself,
I need the help of others to make my way through 
breaking waves amidst coral rocks

I cannot assume the return of calm,
I cannot blame the sea for being true to its nature,
I cannot ignore the crashing water and jagged rocks.

I cannot bring about a sea change.
But with more people around me
maybe together we can weather the change
and keep ourselves from going under.

Change is, after all, the nature of things.
Sea changes are just bigger and
require more of us to meet the challenge.