| I Had a Dream |
|
I Had a Dream
New York Dr. Cesar Chelala
I had a dream--
a long, restful, lovely dream
that we were living in a peaceful world
without the clamor of war or the dagger of injustice,
where children roamed free in the streets
and youngsters cuddled in the parks, full of love and desire,
where mothers breathed easy,
knowing their children safe from violence and disease
and older people respected, their burdens eased
where those made vulnerable by genetics and disease
knew that their needs were being upheld,
where justice was just and not a pawn
in a grand, cruel command,
where the big halls of commerce understood
that thriving people were their best audience
and not a subject for their exploitation,
where newcomers were welcomed
with generosity and understanding
because they bring strength and new resources,
where they are treated with dignity
not separated from their children and robbed
of their basic humanity by being kept in cages
that even beasts of burden would refuse,
where neighboring countries worked in collaboration
and not ruined by uncalled-for wars,
where world leaders are guided by people’s well-being
and not made pawns in a despicable game of chess.
It didn’t take me long to realize
that my dreams were just dreams
and that unscrupulous world leaders
only interested in their own survival
betray people, year after year,
and continue writing a universal history
of infamy.
Dr. Cesar Chelala is the New York correspondent for The Middle East Times International (Australia).
Illustration by Paola Bilancieri |
|
