THIS IS OUR NOW
Now that all the rivers have bled out
and snowflakes wonder if they’re ever going to land,
I seek within your mind and wonder,
how with just a speck of sand
we stop the tides from rising,
we pave the sea,
we drain the land…
Now we see that climate has turned against us. There are no longer hurricanes, now they’re mega-storms. There are sandstorms that destroy towns. There are rivers of boulders and mud. There are fires that are impossible to extinguish. There are floods that invade cities. There is famine. There is draught. Earthquakes, ever more powerful, shake the foundations of cities. Rain falls without end…
Now that my poor country has been taken,
my towns and villages are seized,
I seek for love and comfort in your bosom,
I search with dignity.
I search for peace.
I ask only for human kindness,
can you spare a piece?
Now that wars, revolutions, violence, terrorism, despots, tyrants, dictators, gangs of killers et cetera et cetera, have taken over and destroyed so many countries, so many societies, so many communities, so many people, people by the tens of millions are fleeing. They are victims. They are workers. They are willing and able to work your land. Multitudes seek only one thing, life. Refugees, migrants, and all those looking for a better life, look to the powerful, rich, industrialised west as a place where they too can prosper. Why are they not being let in?
Now that the streets are dark and scary,
when walking home becomes a horror show,
I look behind me as I turn each corner,
I look around for shadows in the snow.
The rules have changed that once ruled our society,
now the jungle has encroached on our abode,
and I cannot feel safe here, in the place I call my home.
Now gangs roam through our once peaceful streets. No one stops the angry voices. No one helps the working man or woman. Our homes have been taken over by squatters and nothing is done. Our life has become a struggle and no one cares. The rich hide in their safe retreats, country homes, walled-in estates with guards, alarms and impenetrable security, while the rest of society fights off criminals as well as misguided, untrained, and mal intentioned police…
C.2022, Francisco Bravo Cabrera, 09 NOV 2022, Valencia, Spain
JaZzArt en València 
En Bodrum esta el yate millonario de Alex Castro lol!!!
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Allí lo vi hace unos años…
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Your poem speaks eloquently from the heart ❤️
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Thank you Pat.
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You’re welcome, Francisco.
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yo lo vi en 2018 en mi trabajo.
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It’s a beautiful, heartfelt poem! But, let me ask you – how many people are we supposed to take in here in the United States? We have the same problems with crime, poverty, homelessness, over-crowding, climate change, immigration, chaos, social conflict, and politicians trying to assert themselves as tyrants and dictators. Conditions may be a little better, but not what they used to be. We are like a slowly sinking ship. And it’s getting harder and harder to stay afloat. Sometimes, people in their own homelands have to stand and fight for their own countries. America simply cannot support the whole world.
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Thank you Fawb for your words about the poem. I really appreciate it. I have no answer to your other question.
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Yes, it’s a conundrum! Nobody seems to have any answers. But at least, with art, we can express our dissatisfaction with the world in positive ways.
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That is true Dawn. We are greeted by the same set of problems here in Europe reference immigrants and refugees… we don’t have answers but we do have plenty of problems. Our culture is eroding and that’s not good.
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It feels like that to a lot of people, so I’ve concluded that the whole world, and not just one or two regions, is falling apart. Hard to say what the future will bring. But I’m glad to meet wonderful, talented people like you!
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It is hard to think of a better future, I quite agree, Dawn. And thank you, I feel the same way. All the best.
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My heart sinks with a knowing nod. Such a tell telling poem of our world today Francis. We are in a sad state of affairs and it starts with our leaders and sadly we our moral compass is gone.
I love the conversation you and Dawn just had and what effects one effects all. I wish I had answers and I wish people could talk in just this way and build bridges for each other. I’m not sure even the rich are safe any more.. The gangs are flooding everywhere and then look at the horrifying Jan 6th. It makes one heart sick. Hugs and love 💗
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You are so right Cindy. There are no answers to so many of our great problems. And we know these problems are going to affect, in a horribly negative fashion, coming generations and it is sad to realise that they will not live in a world like the one we grew up in. But I believe God is in charge and things will be as He will guide them. Cheers and all the best.
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It is and we have to continue to have faith like you do dear Francis. Have a great day! 💙
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Thank you Cindy, and a great day to you too! All the best.
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🙏🏼💗🙏🏼
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Excellent poem, Francis. You covered a vast variety of the woes of the world — many things we’re struggling with in the US. I wish more Americans wanted to build bridges instead of walls. I’m not just referring to the border wall. The political polarization that erupted in 2016 has created walls between friends, neighbors, and family members. I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know, so I’ll just leave it at that. All the best from North Carolina.
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That is so true and here in Europe we are also seeing such differences between people on the left and those on the dar right, leaving those in the centre completely out of the loop.
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We take less and less responsibility of our actions…
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So true, Cassa, and in many ways we are all responsible for the problems of our world.
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Change of behaviour starts with self awareness. You poem helped reminding me of the role I play and the change I can make.
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Wonderful! So glad to hear that! And thank you so very much!
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An excellent poem my friend, but if I was to disect it I would be here for weeks
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True, no doubt. Lots of questions, I am just not sure that anyone of us has any real answers… Thank you my friend!
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This is a so a beautiful and heartfelt poem!
I really love it.
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Thank you so much! All the best!
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