In the grand scheme of space and time, humanity stands at a unique crossroads, embodying both the role of a disease and a cure. I wanted to share my thoughts and perspectives in the following essay.

The Disease: A Tale of Destruction

Humanity, in its relentless pursuit of progress, has often fallen prey to the darker aspects of its nature. Our industrial advancements, though monumental, have led to the degradation of our planet. The forests that once flourished are now dwindling, the oceans that teemed with life now choke on plastic, and the air, our lifeblood, is thick with pollutants. It's like we've become a relentless force, consuming and destroying, often forgetting the delicate balance that sustains life.

Moreover, our social fabric isn't immune to this destructive bent. Inequality, conflict, and a lack of empathy are the viruses we've let loose upon ourselves. It's as if we've become disconnected, focusing on what divides us rather than what unites us. This aspect of humanity, driven by greed and short-sightedness, mirrors a disease, eating away at the very essence of our planet and our societies.

The Cure: A Vision of Hope

Yet, within this bleak portrait, there lies a beacon of hope. Humanity, as much as it is a disease, is also uniquely equipped to be the cure. Our ingenuity, the very trait that led us down a path of destruction, can also pave the way for redemption and restoration.

We see this in the surge of renewable energy, in the innovative technologies that aim to reverse environmental damage, and in the growing consciousness towards sustainable living. There's a shift happening, a realization that we must harmonize our actions with the natural world. It's a race against time, but one that we are increasingly gearing up to win.

Beyond the environmental aspect, humanity's potential as a cure shines through in our social endeavors. Movements advocating for equality, compassion, and unity are gaining momentum. We are slowly rewiring our societal structures, fostering communities that are inclusive and empathetic. This shift, though gradual, is a testament to our ability to overcome the darker aspects of our nature and forge a path of healing and growth.

Embracing Our Dual Role

This duality of humanity as both the disease and the cure is not a contradiction, but rather a call to action. It's a recognition that we hold the power to shape our destiny, to correct our course, and to redefine our legacy. It's about acknowledging our faults while embracing our potential to bring about transformative change.

In this journey, every individual has a role to play. It's not just about grand gestures, but also about the small, everyday choices we make – choices that, collectively, can lead to a profound impact. It's about being conscious, being responsible, and being proactive.

Conclusion

As we stand at this crossroads, the path we choose will define the future of our planet and our species. Humanity, with all its complexities, has the unique capacity to be both the architect of its downfall and the harbinger of its salvation. The choice is ours, and the time to act is now.

If these walls could talk, they'd crumble from the horrors they’ve seen. Blood splatters all over the floor. Body parts lie in heaps on the ground, wails fill every part of the room. Within these walls are where lives were taken with injustice. Where dreams of innocent children were crushed. Where they smiled through the pain for the last time. Within these walls are where a mother called out for her children but her calls were met with a piercing silence. Where a father held his children's remains in waste bags and cried. Where a child lost every member of his family. Where people went insane holding onto their loved ones' dead bodies. Within these walls are where parents write the names of their children on their legs and on their hands to identify them if they’re murdered. These walls have cried out for help, but the world was deaf. These walls have spoken out of their oppression time and time again, but the world was busy portraying them as the enemy. Their voices came in screams of pain and heartache, but the world was crying, praying for their killers. Everything these walls suffer, they had to suffer on their own. These walls have seen bodies flooding in by the hundreds all at once until they had no more spaces to spare. They’ve seen families being ripped apart, families being completely erased with no survivors and hoped their names won’t be forgotten. They’ve seen doctors coming across the faces of those they loved lying amongst the dead but had to keep working. They’ve heard their cries, seen their angst upon their faces. But never once had they seen them give up. Piles upon piles of a never-ending flow of victims. These walls stretched out, no longer the four walls of a morgue, but they extended to the hospitals, to schools, to anywhere else they thought would be safe, until the whole city became one big morgue. They even reached out to ice cream trucks, where instead of seeing the smiles on their kids’ faces eating an ice cream, parents kept their lifeless kids inside in bloody shrouds. These walls thought they’d seen the worst, but still, every day is a new horror, every day comes with a bigger loss, every day is the worst.

If these walls could talk, they'd cry out, is this the death of humanity? If these walls could talk, they'd ask, what did these children do to deserve this? What did they do to deserve to be stripped of their rights to dream, to grow up, to have a family? To be stripped of their simple right to be children.

For years these walls have watched the people within die defending what they believed in. For years these people have been urged to leave their homes, leave their land, leave their memories and their families and their dignity. For years these people refused to be moved, they stood tall, fearless, and smiling in the face of death. For years they lived in oppression. And now the world asks them, why don’t you live in peace with your oppressors?

All these walls ever asked for was freedom. Was that too much to ask? If these walls could talk, they'd weep.

These walls are not just random walls, and if these walls could talk, they'd be proud to say, we are Palestine.

Love, hate, lust, and longing have been motivating factors as of late. Human relationships are so intricate, woven as quickly as a spider’s web and are oftentimes just as fragile.

So frequently am I caught within the stringy fibers of the webs I (not so) begrudgingly weave.

The wind begins to pick up all around me, ushering me indoors, whispering promises that have already been broken. I tire of these games, uninterested in playing along to the rule book that I have claim to have created.

They say Halloween is a time for fear, but really, I find it quite peaceful.

Dead leaves brush across my path.

I wonder if they are harbingers of change.

the sun rises

and fate is still sleeping

she’s on west coast time

the plans are all scrap paper

blank slate, carte blanche

the fresh gambit of today

take it in stride

pick up the stragglers along the way

both the innocent and the enemy

and call upon the optimist

lock arms

embrace togetherness

let goodness emanate from you

be a spectacle for the skeptic and the cynic

let them sunbathe in it

because you can

you are the fighter, the winner

the boxer, the tightrope walker

life is a skill you acquire

mistakes exist on the unpaved way

you will trip

and when your shoelace is untied

stop and fix it

then run, catch-up

sometimes we falter

tremble but conquer

True love's conception

Perfection, by God's own hands

When two became one

She learned so quickly--

Absorbed with insatiable

Curiosity

Eventually

She would come to find her stride

School, driving... the boy

I thought him lacking

But she saw something in him

Eros and Ludus

I'm glad she found love

She lived life passionately

I miss her so much

From darkness to light

First small breaths begin first test

Leaving mother's womb

Laughing voices sing

Gather close to teachers wings

Learn to fall and fly

Changes come within

Cocoon opens, reveals sin

You are on your way

Sun is high, clouds low

Beards and hairs dusted with snow

I am all alone

Whispered breath, unheard

Welcome back to mother's womb

Darkness takes the light

Umbilical cords

Laid end-to-end to my start

Spawn me from the stars

Two of us-in-one

With one of we-two in tow

Weave a tangled web

Life is to live large:

Be, love, thrill, laugh, cry... repeat

Effloresce the web

Crossing strands will stick

With only those, worth unto

Two-in-one, again

Till dust do us part

Outliving even ourselves

Thence back to the stars

***

Inspired by a previous submission, "Tethered Haiku."

Brought into this world

With no say in the matter

many years ago

A child scrapes his knees

Treats the wound in a puddle

Friends laugh, so do I

No more jobs in town

Faithless are the once faithful

The lifeblood drained

I’m falling in love

Thirty hours of pain, and my

Wife births my whole world

An old man, am I

In the mirror, he looks tired

A flash, and it’s gone

pushing through the maze

of amniotic fluid

catching life’s lightening

toddling through breaking

glass, the abusive dry leaves

of silent knowledge

making fake friends laugh

was my one superpower

without the red cape

working for nothing

but raising a family

the means to an end

padding retirement

in the golden years of life

working till i’m dead

Befuddled in light

Vocal cords stretch in loud cries

Pulsing of new life

Guileless eyes peer up

Playful naivety shines

Inquiry sparked

Radiant youth glows

Dreaming entwined with passion

Boundless paths ahead

Stepping into prime

Dance to intricate rhythms

Soul ever blooming

Etched with lines of grace

To wisdom’s gentle embrace

Stories echo on