Everything fades to dust
eventually,
the wheels of progress turn
inevitably.

The elders of the tribe
woefully,
remember times not lived
respectfully.

History hides secrets
illicitly,
of the big lessons doled
cruelly.

The past is only known
truthfully,
by the ones who lived it
successfully.

If young people listened
graciously,
to the old wisdom learned
painfully,

together they could build
splendidly,
a new vision that’s forged
lovingly.

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Melding is an excerpt from Humanity’s Lament: Poetry for Our Times. It’s free here.

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Melding builds on yesterday’s post about Great-Aunt Nelly and her gumption. There was advice she gave me many years ago, and through my arrogant youthful eyes, I assumed she was a lady (although very nice) that could not know a whole lot about the subject we were discussing. After all, she had never married, so how could she? A whole lot, as it turns out. I should have listened better!

Although I grew up in an era where we were taught to respect our elders (and I did), we weren’t necessarily good at appreciating their wisdom. Perhaps given the state of our world, we should be embracing the wisdom of our elders. Real change, I believe, could be better accomplished with a broader inter-generational perspective, accomplished through conversation, cooperation, and intentional action.

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