In this time of upheaval
Of angry protests
And demands to resist.
Where both sides point their fingers at each other
And blame the other 
for the mess, we’re in.

We’ve become the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s.
The right mad at the left.
The left angry at the right.
And the media fuels the angst so it’s ratings might rise.

What if we took a step back?

What if we focused on the solution, instead of the problem?

What if we looked to the wisdom our heroes have taught us throughout the ages?
John and Robert Kennedy. Martin Luther King. Gandhi. Buddha. Thomas Merton. Christ.

I wonder if they are speaking to us now
And their message is the same as it has been throughout the ages—-
Love is still the answer. 

Love—pure and simple.

Easy and hard.

Listening to each other.

Caring for our brothers and sisters.

Speaking softly.

Civility.

Nonviolence.

Turning off the 24-hour news angst machine.

It begins in our heart.
Allowing the seeds of compassion and wisdom to bloom
In quiet times of meditation.
In moments of solitude listening to the Creator speak to us above the din of our own agenda. 

It is not too late.
I have hope we can choose love as the fork in this road.
And my prayer is that this small poem might be one of many voices who hear the call to love as the solution and are ready to join hands and walk this ancient wisdom path together, once again. 

—brian j plachta