The powers that be

The powers that be                                                                        
 
My house is lonely tonight.
I step into the backyard –
 
fenced in, sub-divided;
stars fixed above the trees,
 
the moon turning its cold shoulder.
I feel small, over-looked, left behind
 
in the vastness.  After a time, I notice
the moon shadows crossing the lawn –
 
I am getting somewhere –
in spite of myself. 
 
The earth turning me, hurtling me
around the sun, also, on a journey
 
toward its ultimate destiny.
I might seem inert, broken down,
 
stuck in an ineffectual rut but, 
eternal forces are ever rushing me,
 
in their own sweet time, toward a rendezvous.
My choice – to have faith in the benevolence
 
of the powers that be
or, lack faith and despair
 
as I languish behind the high, sturdy fence
I have erected for myself.
 
O child of God, don’t worry, be happy. 
Despair, in any case, will gain you nothing.

(drawing by Rich Panico)