So Many Things to Fix in 2026

Ah, Humanity...
we stand at the crossroads
so each one of us
must step decisively
into the future
immediate and far
that we desire for our Kind 

As December comes to an end
and winter settles into January
a sleepy time called the new year
that isn’t really
yet nonetheless is
a time of gathering forces
for the burgeoning of new life
come Spring
let us be thankful for warm hearths
human heart sense and stories
of how it is
how it once was
and how it can be
gathering visions
seeking truths amid the distractions
the mirages and fabrications
joining together in love and courage
with honour   respect   and reciprocity
values being rapidly eroded
in the glitzy yet murky stew
we almost can’t help but wade through

To lure good people into robotic compliance
on the increasingly grey and desolate path
to the hideous nihilist cattle chute 
the final funnel into a brazen technocratic grid
too grim to tolerate
we are relentlessly pelted
with great sticky media globs
presented with algorithmic glitter
by new
yet quite possibly ancient
impostor gods
hyped manufactured fears and falsehoods
stirred up with shreds of truth 

Within every human heart
a flicker or flame
urges us instead
onto the variably visible path
however less travelled
however arduous
winding back to spark and Source

Will you step upon it? 

We have a choice
We are here for a reason
And there are things that We Can Do
Each one of us
part of all
Which path will you take? 

As the light waxes daily
through the winter months
let us valiantly seek
the truths we need to see
however heinous
so healing can follow 

To break out of the heartless
solipsistic vortex swirling about us
let us reclaim beauty and harmony
creating it with conscious purpose
in as many ways as we can 

Anyone and everyone can enact
small and quiet gestures and odes
loud and joyful declarations
arias and concertos
genuine and heartfelt
we simply
    choose
         with care
         and gracious intention
our words
our dress
our comportment and communication 

we act honestly and honourably
we set our tables beautifully
within our means
we share meals
however humble
in daylight and candlelight
we listen to and make beautiful music 
we appreciate and create
art and architecture that uplifts
we grow beautiful gardens or potted plants
we greet each other eye to eye
at home and out in public
we remember the value of freely sharing differences
of listening and (re)considering 

In 2026 the key thing we need to fix
is our ability to care with the full capacity
of our expansive heartspace
our good will and generosity
so that more and more men women and children
remember our human mission
to connect with each other
and the something greater
we all carry within us
a capacity
to say no to what is clearly wrong
and to sing yes yes Yes
to living freely and full-heartedly
in divine balance
doing no harm unto others
who likewise live and let live
by this golden rule 

In 2026 we refuse
censorious surveillance
tyranny and abject abuses
we face the many lies
as we come
to know them
and thus end their proliferation 

However dark it gets
in 2026 we the many
gather here and there to stand
together
true and firm
human kind
radiating beauty
life   love   and grace
we reclaim our senses
our purpose and our meaning

image credit for picture accompanying poem: Boston Public Library