The new world.........

The New World The light glares harshly Too bright, much too defined. No friendly curtains to soften the brilliance, They are packed away in the boxes. The usual shadows are gone. No furniture, no pictures, no knick-knacks To cast shadows into the room. The starkness of the light pierces my soul. I hate the hungry truck Watching it gobble up boxes And tables and beds. That monster on wheels is taking Away a part of my life And driving away much too quickly. The driveway where year after year I watched a man come and go daily to work and back, Is now a driveway filled with that same man’s things. Young people, full of dreams Had unlocked doors to brand new homes Knowing life would be good Neighbors sharing new beginnings New friendship, Life…… full steam ahead! Young people don’t imagine death, And sickness, lay offs and foreclosures. Beginnings don’t whisper those words in their ears. But they happen. The working man walks down the drive To comfort a young widow who is frightened and crushed. His hug and words bring a sense of security To her shaky world. The widow walks up the drive to say," I’ll pray" When the working man is ill, jobs are lost, When life brings challenges. The neighbors walk the path From doorway to driveway And stay connected in the middle. They laugh; they share grumblings about the world. They share tools and advice. Somehow they know that whatever life brings The meetings in the middle get them thru. But the new world, the foreign world of mass lay offs And bank closures and a scary word called recession Brings change. So tonight I remember the hungry truck, I stare at the bright light in the empty living room And I grieve my loss. I will never meet my neighbor In the middle ground again. The next harsh turn in my life, I will face alone. Without the comfort of the hugs, the smiles, the words. Inside I am screaming, "bring back the years!" Deep inside I hear myself shriek like a child "I want a re-do!" But the words stay locked within For this is the new world and the truck is gone The harsh light has now been blackened The young people I loved are gone. They left older They left scarred from life’s hard battles They drove from the home of their new beginnings Into a new world of harsh uncertainties. They left with my tears on their shoulders My hugs imprinted on their bodies And my youth buried in their lives. Tina James 12/05/2009