Mother In Hospice (08/26/06)
Every photograph of suffering
proposes a contract:
you may look,
but you must not
turn away too quickly.
The stages of pain—
shock, endurance, vacancy—
are flattened into a single frame.
Time is arrested,
yet the body continues
beyond the border
of the image.
— kenne
Those of us from the Viet Nam/Civil Rights era will recall the Hollies and the song, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother“. The Hollies may be better remembered by some for Creedence Clearwater Revival inspired song, “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress“, but the 1969 “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” is the one where the lyrics meant a lot to me, and over the years have been carved into my very soul as a reminder of the importance of sharing and caring:
It’s a long, long road
From which there is no return
While we’re on the way to there
Why not share
And the load
Doesn’t weigh me down at all
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother
Often we are moved to pity when we see and experience suffering, but does the feeling manifest into acts that show caring and sharing? Are we a society that takes care of its most needy members? I think not! It seems to be all right (the “New Normal”)to spend trillions to kill while seeking to destroy the social advances of the 20th century. All Peoples are our brothers!
kenne
