Sometimes we can't see what is right in front of us

i awoke to the sun streaming across my face this morning and blue sky peeking out from behind my dark brown curtains. The warmth only deepening my resolve to remain in bed while the light encouraged my senses to twitch. After many hours of determining what i wanted to do with my day off, i decided to meander the east side of central park since it is a mere three blocks from my apartment. along the way i passed a sign that read "reality center" and i paused. This caught my attention as lately i have been pondering over so called reality and the things that capture our sense of what that is. the earthquake in Haiti, the war in Iraq, our political systems, the people we interact with on a daily basis..truth..what is reality? i was about to abort (or at the very least postpone) my central park excursion to inquire at this "reality center" and see if they could perhaps enlighten me, provide me with the answers we all seek at some point in time...when i noticed the sign again...

"Realty Center."

Ah. Not the home to answers of existential questions , but questions about finding a home.

Central park east it was.

The very least I could do

Yesterday my co-worker Cristina and I decided that we needed to do something to help the people in Haiti affected by the earthquake. After less than 12 hours, she and I had created vigil and donation drive that took place in Union Square. It was so great to be able to put together something so impromptu and have it be successful! We raised $118.45 in 2 hours of holding signs and asking people on the street. There was definitely a mix of reactions to people, some of which surprised and saddened me, others were warm and grateful for our presence. We decided to put the money that we raised towards planning a larger more formal fund-raising event to benefit 1 or 2 beneficiaries--perhaps an orphanage and the Red Cross or Yele Haiti.

I watched a new segment with Wyclef Jean who is in Haiti right now with his wife, and the death toll they are estimating is 500,000 people. Honestly, I have a hard time fathoming such absolute devastation. While out asking for donations I had a man holding a sign "Jesus is coming" and yelling at me "Haiti's people are going to Hell! God was ridding the world of their sins--all the babies of Haiti will die!" and it shook me...I know he obviously had some mental stability issues, but that such hatred exists within a human mind deeply saddens me. A nice man walking by at the same time shook his head, came over to me and said, "just ignore him" but it was hard to ignore. A woman came up to me later and thanked me for helping her people...we're all people, shouldn't we all feel some sense of obligation and responsibility to help in any way we can?

It's the least I could do to take a few hours of my day and collect donations. I am excited to start planning a real fundraiser event! I have musicians, spoken word artists and hopefully a skit..maybe a big name actor if I can pull it off...now I just have to organize and mobilize!

In Honor Of MLK Jr Day, just a piece of something I am working on.

A siren. The distance closes in on the sound as it fades again
whooshing past are the cracked vocals and whining of the red pulsing lights
the reality never sets in as the box on wheels with real lives inside is sheltered from our reality.

An explosion. The distance is unmentionable though the fear is not. A child cries, a soldier's tears are brushed aside, a mother lays in her daughters arms as her son and father lay slain at her side. protect. protection. safety. she thought they were here to be rescued, not hunted.

How does it all get rationalized?
Freedom.
Democracy.
Freedom.
Hope.
Freedom.
National Security.
Freedom.
Terrorism.
Freedom.
Capitalism.
Freedom.
Civilization.
Freedom.
The American People.
Freedom.
Freedom.
Freedom.

An upside down flag. The distance is nonexistent. It waves, tattered and shredded through the air as the meaning is forgotten; we are in so much more than desperate need.
A hand reaches through the barbed wire of lies and greed, and touches me.

We can not ignore any longer, that which has been in front of us for so long.
A piece of shrapnel clings to the flesh, clings to the conscience.
Steel bars fragment a face, a pair of sunken eyes, the light has faded from them and barely a human remains.
In the name of what do we evoke and sustain such behavior?
Such sheer inhumanity upon one another?
Claim righteousness and right-ness, but it is not, right.
We fought for freedom, we fought for rights, we fought for our sense of what humanness should be. We are shamed.
We are ill-tamed.
It is a fool who believes
we do all of this in the name of justice.
of peace.
of freedom.
of freedom.
Always that word: freedom.
What is freedom that we take lives so irreverently?
What is freedom that we foresake one another so easily?
What is Freedom, that we turn our backs on our very humanity?
WHAT is Freedom.
The right to breathe fresh air.
The right to be a child without fear.
The right to be of any shade of skin and not fear
for your life
for your family
for your Freedom
of speech
of human rights
Rights to have clean water
to have an education
to protest without fear of retribution
to not fear that your religion will enable a government to prosecute you on the basis of national security
that you will be given fairness and justice in the eyes of peers
before the public
that bias and prejudice will play no part within the law
that Law exists within Democracy
That Democracy perhaps, is not the only way
And, to be able to admit and suggest without the fear that you are being watched being tallied and waited for.
When we demand Freedom, what exactly are we demanding?