The "Fence"

Being Enlightened

Yes, the “Fence”,
as it’s pleasantly referred to,
is a fence of curious construction,
in a dry, and angry place.

I’m afraid that no fence I have seen,
has ever been,
so separating,
unless it was lining a prison.

It seems more like a |Wall|.
A |Wall| built to separate.
A |Wall| that says: “HEY!
This is my side, and that is
your side. YOU! Stay on your side,
if you know what’s good for you!”

I really thought (now, please
remember that this was some
time ago, in my youth),
I really thought that,
|THE WALL|
came tumbling down.
(There are even pieces
of it somewhere in our
house. Probably in some
dusty corner in the basement,
in a box marked “Berlin”…)

I do recall celebration,
and joy, and Pink Floyd,
and it seemed everyone
rallied ‘round, and peace
was possible, and the world
was going to be a better place…
This is really what I thought!

And then, hidden behind
a |Wall| of silence,
slowly, relatively quietly,
another |Wall| took its place,
dividing yet another people.

I found it funny
that mass media could
immediately provide every last
detail of a sad, spectacle
of a pop star’s life,
but it took so long for them
to catch up on news of an
even greater tragedy:
The so-called “Fence”.
The “Fence”,
was already too big
for its own britches
by that time…

I wonder how the children
On each side of this “Fence”
feel? Do they feel their forefathers
hatred? Or do they learn that from
a tailored version of history ,
taught to them in their
“respective” classes in school?

Children are not born
with hate in their hearts.
They are a product of their
surroundings, and those
surrounding them.

How children speak and act
is a reflection of society.
Our society! (Yes, as a whole!)
We have a responsibility
to teach them of love,
tolerance, and peace.
We can shove these ideals
at them, speaking out of
the sides of our mouths,
or we can take a stand,
and really prove we’re not
simply blowing smoke.

Until we collectively
act in peace, in love,
in harmony, there will
continue to be a “Fence”
between what we’ve
allowed ourselves to be
conditioned into being,
and the potential to be
a truly free and peaceful society.