In a Minute of Time
One minute bought to make an impression,
One minute to stir emotions, swirls of anger, guilt, affliction,
One minute to pull the heartstrings to pack a punch to feel the sting -
puppy dog’s hopeless eyes,
matted fur, dismal cries,
broken spirits under rainy skies,
neglected animals getting thinner,
shivering bones exposed in cold of winter
In less than one minute, tears flow –
spokesperson speaks in somber tones,
snapshots of distressed animals are shown
as a somber song arouses sorrow.
One minute of time before ad fades to black,
one minute to make a massive impact.
Is one minute enough time to make a human connection,
to cause a spiritual reflection,
to create a mood for heartfelt invocation?
In less than a minute a bird can take flight, clouds can drift by concealing light.
In less than a minute we can feel pain or regret, we can believe a lie,
turn our backs, become desensitized.
I thought about one minute while I watched these scenes.
I thought about cruelty and suffering.
I thought the strong overpowering the weak.
I thought about the imprint of the words we speak.
I thought about how in less than a minute innocence can die,
and how it takes less than a minute to share a smile, soothe a child’s cry,
or wipe the tears from grief-stricken eyes.
Yes, a poet can breakdown in a moment of time
watching a commercial, a movie, or the sun setting in the sky.
In one minute, we can crumble or soar on high,
but what can we do with our time, what do we create, how can we shine?
We can evoke passion in a moment, we can create change in a moment,
we can live in the moment.
In this moment, I need to wipe my own tears and give to the cause.
This organization has spent their minute well.
Written 6/10/20 for Chantelle Anne Cooke's
Time Poetry Contest
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