![2010 Floods in Pakistan - A Race Against Time[1]hh](https://thehalfwaypoint.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/pakistan1.jpg "2010 Floods in Pakistan - A Race Against Time[1]hh")
I long for something, waiting impatiently
I count the days, anticipating anxiously
I listen to the tick-tock mind-numbingly
I pretend to be cool hopelessly
Don’t distract me with concepts highbrow
Don’t bother telling me about Tao
Save the what, why or how
Like Veruca, I want it now
Experience, years, perspective have shown me
This waiting game makes me edgy
B**chy, y’think? Sure, but still friendly
It doesn’t bother me much, really
Though I’d prefer to be carefree
I could look away, but why?
It’d be damn impossible to deny
Truth ain’t about to say goodbye
No matter how much we lie
This is who’s on my mind
Those of us who’re left behind
Visa, MasterCard, AmEx, checks, all declined
Empty pockets bleed with red lines
They grind, resigned, stuck on rewind
Have they been abandoned by humankind?
Do we see? Are we blind?
They’re like us, may I remind
Our existence along with theirs, intertwined
Can’t sever these ties that bind
To ignore them would be unkind
From the single mothers here locally
To Congolese women and others intercontinentally
Do we understand why they’re angry?
Dare we cross the fabricated boundary?
Do we wait for the arrival
Of something otherworldly, supernatural or magical?
Is our staggering self-absorption compassion’s rival?
This condition, are we in denial?
Who’s responsible for our collective survival?
This is beyond political, it’s personal.
Spirits swimming in mud, barely intact
Once happy places, now flooded, ransacked
Liquid dreams washed away, hope cracked
Home is where? Emptiness, nothing packed
Trickles of a future, murky, abstract
Every which way, past, present, hijacked
You and me, must we act?
Together, can we make an impact?
This timeless, tried and tested fact
Shall we give it a shot?
Can our forces multiply, not subtract?
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***This post is inspired by the 20 million people in Pakistan impacted by the recent catastrophic floods. I can’t not do something about it so I would like to donate $5 toward relief efforts for every comment left on this post by Sunday.
****If you would like to make a contribution yourself but are not sure which organization to send help through, I recommend Global Fund for Women, a very reputable and thoroughly vetted international organization based in my ‘hood. One that I can vouch for wholeheartedly. Their president, Kavita Ramdas, is an impressive woman whose leadership has inspired me for years. For a sneak peek at Kavita’s brilliance, watch her Ted talk here.
******If you’d like to find out (or participate in!) what’s going on with this week’s Six Word Fridays, the prompt is WAIT. What are you waiting for? Click here!
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Image by United Nations Development Programme
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Heartbreaking. I’m astounded at the little coverage and minimal response to this tragedy. Thank you for this.
Here I go costing you money again!
That was a great poem by the way. I’m impressed at how you managed to rhyme every single line without it seeming forced. And I agree, when it comes to people made homeless by forces beyond their control, it’s personal.
Man, that picture knocked me flat! Love your comparison to Veruca Salt!
Belinda,
This is why we love you. I donated as well. Thanks for the direction. xo
Dear Belinda,
Thank you for SEEING and taking action. And thanks for the recommendation regarding a great place to donate to.
I love who you are.
Lauren
Thank you for raising my awareness to this cause.
Fantastic message. Full of meaning for all of us. Thank you.
What a voice you’ve given this.
Devastating, real, you’ve made a difference.
Amazing Belinda – you are a master wordsmith extraordinaire. How you spun those complex words and made it all work together in this piece is quite brilliant. I said it last time and I will say it again, I want to see so much more of this writing of yours.
What a message you deliver through your words too. What a terrible catastrophe.
oh how I love this. “Is our staggering self-absorption compassion’s rival?”….oh so love that line, and yes, I think so. Once again, you have put some deep compassionate, passionate thoughts together in a beautiful poem. xo
This is really powerful Belinda, and you have moved me to act. Not just through your words, but by your compassion. You are an inspiration.
Thanks for raising awareness. What an inspiration you are. Your poem is vivid and emotional, and the picture brought it home.
I love your compassion, Belinda. Thanks for sharing your heart and soul here.
My wife is awesome.
Wow. Beautiful call to arms.
Wonderful and powerful words. Thank you for caring so much and sharing. This is a horrible catastrophe, thank you for doing your part and sharing with the world.
My favorite lines:
I could look away, but why?
It’d be damn impossible to deny
Truth ain’t about to say goodbye
No matter how much we lie
I love this and what you do with it.
Peace
This eloquent call to arms is beautiful and powerful. You have raised my consciousness, and I will do my part to help.
Thanks for the wake-up call……….