Seeing a large George Floyd protest sign in rural Maine
Seeing huge letters painted on the side of another house
Boldly calling out to passers by against police violence
You know this is a major moment in the struggle.
We are here on the coast next to the cold Atlantic water
Seeking the cool ocean breeze on a hot August day
Keeping away from the mosquito swarms in the woods
Walking on ancient shore rocks once part of Europe.
The hurricane season bears down upon us again
As the storms slam home the reality of global warming
The crisis of climate change keeps getting worse
While the know-nothing government does nothing good.
When the government fails to take effective measures
To isolate and track and quarantine pandemic cases
Everything comes down to personal responsibility
To wear masks and social distance and be wary.
There's a limit to how much a person can take in
As it seems everyone can attest these days
When we reach our capacity for new messages
Anything more blanks out into meaningless noise.
People are wired to notice what is new and different
Turning our attention to whatever changes around us
To identify and quickly determine how to respond
If we are to adapt successfully to our circumstances.
But information overload exhausts anyone
Who tries to keep abreast of all that is happening
Requiring us to take a time out to breathe in the salt air
Watching the waves arrive from across the sea.
