Year 2008 - Challenge or Defeat - by Tisha

When the clock struck twelve,
and opened a new door,
to the Year 2008,
no-one was able to delve
into the secret corridor,
of my thoughts and soul.

Everyone was hesitant to explore,
to question, to even care about
the possible emotional outpour
of qualified indignation

and stark loneliness
drifting ashore in waves

of perplexed feelings

running out-of-control.

While there was mirth and laughing,
excessive binge-drinking

and passionate kissing
and lots of fun in the dancing crowds,
I desperately tried to gain some
superficial damage control.

What does 2008 hold for me?

And for everyone of us?
More of the same of 2007?
Many new exciting challenges,
or devastating new defeats?

Only time will tell what will be my role,
in expanding the ozone hole,

in the relentless global warming

and climate change,
in preventing racial hatred

and material greed,
avoiding the hidden assassin's bullet.

What will my role be
in denouncing political corruption,

fraud and social injustice,

religious discrimination,

the accumulation of incredible wealth

and ostentation, bigotry,

false self-righteousness

and moral decline.

How can I relieve the suffering of

victims of sexual abuse

and domestic violence,

of orphans, and homeless

and millions of refugees caused by

the never-ending aggression

and wars for oil

and international power,

of political prisoners tortured

and the millions of victims

suffering from AIDS?

Will I just passively stand by
waiting for this mess to unfold,
fervently wishing to finally embrace
the shining light, which beckons me,
at the end of the never-ending tunnel?