George Bush is not the problem

     2007

George Bush is not the problem.
John Howard is not the problem.
Rupert Murdoch is not the problem.

I am.
I am the problem.

The strange wars and strange weather.
The sweatshops. The continuation
of hurt and hate, disregard, disharmony.
I am the reason.

I ask, who can save the world? You know. The children.
The forests, the pandas. The food and water. The air.
The songs. Al Gore? Bono? Bob Brown?
A few big voices offer ideas
but they are powerless without me.
It’s all about me.
I am the reason.

In the kitchen, the cafe, the office,
on the street, the oval, the beach,
in the factory, the library, the lab,
I am the problem.
In my meaningless noise,
I am the problem.
In my silence

(First published in The Broadkill Review)