H HUMANITY
U UNITY
M MOBILIZE
A ACTION
N NOBLE
R REMINDER
I INSIGHT
G GLORIFY
H HISTORY
T TEACH
S SOLVENCY
for the children of the Holocaust, Ukraine and Gaza
Where does the butterfly go
when lightning rails
when thunder howls
when hailstones scream
when winter scowls
when nights compound dark frosts with snow
where does the butterfly go?
Where does the rose hide its bloom
when night descends oblique and chill,
beyond the capacity of moonlight to fill?
When the only relief’s a banked fire’s glow,
where does the butterfly go?
And where shall the spirit flee
when life is harsh, too harsh to face,
and hope is lost without a trace?
Oh, when the light of life runs low,
where does the butterfly go?
by Michael R. Burch
In my opinion, the most important human rights are the human rights of children to grow up without becoming the victims of racism, inequality, injustice, homelessness, malnutrition, starvation or war. I agree with Gandhi, who said that if we want to live in a better world, we need to start with the children.
The ledger reads:
a plethora of umbrellas—
though it hasn’t rained in weeks.
Six bowls of ripe fruit rotting simultaneously,
four calendars all agreeing to be ignored.
Noise catalogued:
dogs barking at metaphors,
telephones dreaming of purpose,
the surplus of answers
none of us asked for.
On the opposite shelf:
a paucity of receipts for kindness,
one cracked mirror,
a prayer half-mouthed then abandoned.
They say memory is selective—
but it always chooses the same omissions.
In audit we trust:
to weigh the overgrown
against the almost-forgotten.
And if balance exists,
it does so behind glass,
marked “for display only.”
Human life is the most precious gift given to us by the Creator
we are supposed to be higher than the wild beast in the field
today's humans have lost their way and have become lower, than the wild beast in the field
we have forgotten that we are" the children of the most high" Created in love
We are our brothers' keepers, condemn the wrong and extol the right, when we see it in each other
telling the truth helps to keep us on the right path on this life's journey
Like chattering magpies we flock, we preen, we groom
We gather shiny bits and pieces to feather our nests
And then we tarnish them with neglect or abuse
Or lose them, distracted by the next one
We've already collected the prize sought by all
Not the God given one, that's free will
Which has been given freely to all
What we do with it is up to us
(“Multiculturalism Merit Badge”, 2010, original
Oil)
Unhumans
When I was young I was taught to respect all humans
And I was taught to identify humans
By their appearance, whether they looked like me,
Regardless of sex or race, age, size or style.
But I think I was taught wrong.
I think there are in fact a lot of unhumans amongst us
Really not even pretending to be human.
Human means something more
Than our physical form.
It means something elevated
From the bulk of other animals.
Perhaps it even means something you have to grow into
Instead of just being born into.
Today anyone who seeks to enslave others,
Or wantonly abuse and harm them,
Or can’t respond with human concern
To the injustices we see around us everyday,
Is just an animal,
And animals like this don’t deserve human rights.
We make the assumption that if you look like a human
You must be a human,
But what this does isn’t lift the unhumans up,
It just drags the humans down.
(9/9/25)
I Get The Weirdest
Ideas, Sometimes...
I Want To Carry
Those Dishes
In That Pot
With That Handle...
Then, With A Twitch:
It Turns Into Sudden
Badminton And
Everything's Broken;
Glass Shards
Everywhere,
Serious News.
Humans Destroy
Everything When
They Twitch With
"Good Ideas..."
They Turn It All
Into Badminton
And Shatter All
Your Plans...
Silly Animals...
It's Not Entirely
Our Fault.
Oops!
-Gray Squirrel
09-07-2025
water bear enjoys
colors of life beyond dreams-
the human desires
I am a mural
of seasons patched in nectar
slowly—bit by bit I falter
Tinkling tinkle—
bicycle bell
bashes my pieces back to
where they belong; Where
they were sort of a whole. At least
I remember them making the decision
that we hate tomatoes
as a collective.
And they ride
on one bike, towards
nowhere specific—
—tinkling, tinkling
Now the shred of rainbows despise
the fragments that watch yellow leaves die;
Flakes of white scoff in frost
when they hear laughter from chips of sun
—No one is right yet
nothing can be wrong
Binded with
what I had, I am—or I was—
no, I am
a Cubist mosaic
their eyes meet for a
moment—grief flickers softly
then drifts into streets
Let no harsh word fall like a stone,
For every heart is tender, alone.
Give kindness first, the cost is small,
A little warmth is wealth for all.
The weary need a gentle hand,
Up high a star to help them stand.
Speak truth, but dress it soft in light,
So none are wounded in the night.
To love another is to see
The hidden flame of dignity.
No soul was meant to walk in pain,
Or bow beneath another’s chain.
If mercy grows in every place,
The world will bloom with human grace.
Let hearts be free, let voices sing,
For kindness is the thing all seek.
Open your heart to nature, let her come inside,
spread her seeds, and all her trees,
so there's nowhere darkness can hide,
In the spring, the sovereign earth shall let out a mighty cry,
you my children shall forever live and never truly die,
the growth will boom, the shade abound and fruits of every kind,
just remember along the way to keep her in your mind,
for she is your mother, the earth a womb that grants your every need,
She is hurting, needs our help, so listen, heed,
wherever you go, pick the grain, and spread it as you go,
and in only one year the earth reborn will show you where to go,
the fruit will abound, in country and town, you'll see it with your eyes,
and late at night peer into the sky, feel small and wonder why,
the earth comes for like a rose in bloom radiant and glorious be,
do as I've asked, do your small part and you will surely see,
the air will cleanse, the seas rebound, and forest shall go wild,
And she shall say to all of you well done my blessed child.
slanting hue
sink every desire due ~
cackle at humans
Begin at treason acts of non allegiance
Human Speech
Business license is created to take from human voluntarily
Or otherwise
Advertising is not free speech
Use of surplus against legislation
Fraudulent bypass of poverty laws
Document theft from slaves
Slavery Acts
Calls from the job you needed
Connecting without the shove
Turning down the press
Finishing the letters in the heart shaped box
Quiting going to work
Letting yourself run out of money
Getting yourself back
Tis the nature of the tribe,
Distant and near rivalry,
Contests to compete,
Best of nothing at all,
Glory, medals aloft,
Human nature turns to dust,
Hard to change in poetry,
Rather send to humanity,
Good vibes to all our tribes....
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