Repairing the World (from the Hebrew “Tikkun Olam”)

Einstein’s theory split the atom*
but the mass mind was already split,
centuries of divisiveness
needing a repair tool kit,
so now we are putting back together
what can be put back together —
action instead of reaction,
making whole instead of holier than thou,
where there is Divide&Rule
let us sow togetherness,
sew blankets to keep our friends warm
because Divide&Rule the cruel trick,
its longstanding habits thick:
me, you, gentile, Jew,
Black, White settler, First Peoples’ view,
Shiite, Sunni, Palestinian, Jew,
KKK, Black Panther,
paraplegic, ballet dancer,
Blacks (and others) disproportionately in jail,
Blacks who bail out thankless bankers
while homeless flail.

Fight-or-flight is a lose-lose situation,
one with fists, the other with feet that split the scene,
split-pea-brains trying to make us mis-think,
they try to lead us to polluted water but can’t make us drink,
try to feed us polluted food but we can smell the stink.
Do you pledge allegiance to be ignorant
about where your stuff comes from?
Fair Trade, Slave Trade? Co-ops, Prison Labor?
Boom&Bust capitalism, Sustainable flavors?

Instead of splitting the scene
we are putting back together
what can be put back together—
Left brain, Right brain, but One Mind.
Daytime, Nighttime, but One Time.
Two sides of the coin, but One piece of metal.
Two suburban yards, but One fence.
Billions of stars, but One Sky.
Could be 400 million sperm, but One Child.

In the words of Kaga no Chiyo,
    a Buddhist haiku master:
       one-hundred gourds
      from the heart-mind
             of one vine

*Editor’s note:
Credit for splitting the atom usually goes to Ernest Rutherford (working in Montréal) but really he just discovered the method. The actual split was first achieved by his colleagues Walton and Cockcroft in 1932. Einstein’s theory only demonstrated what could be done with it.

- prh, ed.

Mankh (Walter E. Harris III) is an essayist and resident poet on Axis of Logic. In addition to his work as a writer, he is a small press publisher and Turtle Islander. His recent book is “Drive-thru Theofascism & The Hero's Journey” and the newest is “Dear_______, poem-letters to friends and enemies.” You can contact him via his literary website.

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