When I was a child, I was told
As soon as they could, they'd make me old
And give me a cart to push around
In circles
For the rest of my life.
I asked if there was an option;
They laughed and soon I was old.
I was given a cart to push around
like everyone before me.
I cannot get my hands free;
if I let go, the cart will run over me.
So they took my hands away
But they could not take my eyes.
Now I sit and watch everyone push their cart
While the rivers and oceans die
While the air gets harder to breathe
'Til the earth no longer bears food
While people sell their eyes
I must stand by and watch
As the children are trained for their pushcarts,
The fools build on a top-heavy world
Still I must push my cart
And I must fight the urge to be blind
Everything's falling down
Still I push the cart
Now they say we've got less than a lifetime left
And everyone still pushes their carts
Without hands
Without eyes
Though a few still remember how to cry
I watch without a sound
As the sun goes down.
G.S., 11/12/86