Thursday, November 30, 2006

STAND, PEOPLE OF THE WEST

Living in a fantasy
While all the worlds in misery
The East became a place of strife
But here we lead an easy life.

Ah! The agony and suffering,
The wars, the famines – everything
Disease and bloodshed – all are rife
In the Asian, African, ordinary life.

And parents lose their sense of drive
When their children die before age five.
Many look to the ugly knife
To end their miserable, hopeless life.

When a tsunami overthrows your home
You leave, find somewhere else to roam
And wonder why you bother to live
When life takes all you have to give.

When earthquakes split apart the land
When your life disappears in the shifting sand:
‘Tis a struggle just to go on living
The world is not at all forgiving.

So here we are in a Western Land
We lounge on the couch by the TV stand
And watch, unfolding, news of the East
Engrossed by the terrible news of the East.

The man says: “Yes, that’s very sad;”
And again: “It’s really just too bad”.
He bids farewell to his dear wife
And goes and leads his business life.

The wife remains and stays at home
She talks with friends on the telephone.
When her child asks of the Eastern strife,
Replies: “Son, that’s merely part of life.”

And so we stand in luxury
(Or lie in lawn chairs by the sea)
And contemplate the joys of life
Of simple, easy, rewarding life.

For shame, O people of the West!
You ride a carousel, and all the rest
Of humanity toils and works and strives
To turn the wheels of your fairytale lives!

Now is the time to arouse from stupor
And mend the sorrows of the poor
The time to help and heal and care
For those in the world who are dry and bare.

I charge you now to heed the call
Of Him who loves you more than all
Now stand and act and do not rest
O men and women of the West!

by Samuel Ganton, Age 14

God inspired me to write this poem. Normally, it takes me days, working sporadically to finish a composition, but I wrote this one in about half an hour. I cannot take much credit for it, and I pray that God will use it for His Glory.
Samuel.