Poem: Undry River

Still after all these years
Trying to find my place in this world
Traces of PTSD still embedded
While gray replaces dashing curls

The cult is still alive and strong
One cult among many
Its extinction only in my dreams
Where its value’s reduced to pennies

The sacred bond that has held the world
Seems to have come undone in a cloud of dust
Our fantasies spun by power brokers
Couldn’t avoid the cycle of boom and bust

I dream of living to a hundred
Healthy, hale and strong
Blessing younger generations
With survival skills not gone wrong

If there were an omnipotent really listening
I would ask and hope for an answer
In lieu of this, I dream and work
To avoid and expel the cancer

Of self-defeat and steps gone astray
Of miscalculations and self-will faux-pas
Of blind subservience to blinded masters
And uninformed adherence to misguided Oprahs

Keep the river high and the water wet
Keep your steps balanced and wise
Whisper your vision in self-confidence
And always aim for
Opened eyes

~ Gunnar Våken