Come Down from the Clouds

Come Down from the Clouds
By Katherine Dunn

She whistles while she walks.
A happy tune fills her air.
Nothing but cheery faces and great talks.
But her eyes are about to be opened.

The world is good.
Everyone is happy.
All is as it should.

There is nothing wrong.

Practically skipping down the way,
Her eyes fixed on the lovely Lady Liberty,
Which symbolizes the kind nature of all,
Leaving nothing left to say.

There is nothing wrong.

Suddenly knocked onto her knees,
She falls from the clouds
And for the first time, she sees.

A starving old beggar on the street,
A young girl conning tourists for her next meal,
A filled soup kitchen wondering if, again, their families will ever meet.

There is nothing wrong?

Wanting out, she looks for a door.
Overwhelmed, she begins spinning
Causing her to see even more.

An overflowed orphanage,
An animal shelter on the verge of bankruptcy,
Jobless, homeless, starving men, women, and children.

There is so much wrong.

She falls.
All step over her like she is a log in the way.
The conning girl and the beggar rush to her side.
One moment he still recalls.

She is helped by those less fortunate than her
When she in fact has never done the same.
What a world.

There is so much wrong.

You see?
We get so wrapped up in ourselves
We forget about world problems that we don’t have to deal with.
The starvation, the bankruptcy, the fact that families are being torn apart hand by hand
And for what?
So human beings like you and me
Can suffer their way through their lives?
Lives that have been labeled useless, meaningless, and unimportant.
Who are we to label?
Who are we to judge and accuse?

There is so much wrong.

So open your eyes
‘Cause the worlds a callin’.
And before you know it,
You could end up like her:
Fallen.