YOUTH OF
YOUTH OF
I’ve been on tour the past few weeks
reading books to children
in different schools
in different cities
in different states.
It’s been inspirational
to say the least
meeting them all
and watching those differences blend
into their faces and attitudes
like the watercolor give
in the geography
of highway mile markers.
Living in a city
built on a desert
and populated with generations
who couldn’t wait to escape their parents,
small towns,
or respective social constraints
it’s easy to spend your day never really knowing anyone.
Orphans.
It’s easy to forget about humanity
the further you stand from it
the further you build your house away from someone else
the thicker you pad the walls.
Not knowing who people are
or what they want to do with their lives -
only catching a glimpse of a shadowy figure
elongated against the landscape
through the lens of a camera
the jigsaw puzzle of an overheard conversation-
It’s only natural to stack the odds against the common good.
Not knowing how they plan to raise their children
to try and make the world a better place
and how they are just as scared as you some times-
it only strengthens the argument
for the unhindered spread of terribly sad futures
that will one day paint black the skies.
But from what I’ve seen recently
I recommend you take a moment
to step out of your day,
perhaps a weekend abroad
visiting with the locals
in a place you’ve
only driven past
and wondered.
The longer we live with the projections
of what life is like on the other side of the wall
the more disappointed we will be
when we scale it
armed to the teeth
and looking for someone to blame.