Nearly bi-polar,
	I vacillate 
between the  ecstasy of knowing
 I am made of stardust
(as is all of creation)
and the painful awareness
of humanity denying its potential.

In this darkest time of year
	the darkness is exacerbated 
	by suffering and grief 
	needlessly perpetrated by 
	those who could do differently
	if they chose.

The same darkness that makes 
	the stars more visible 
	makes our origins more dissonant
	from how our culture lives.	 

My eyes take me deep into the universe,
 light years away from the misery 
	around this planet,
yet my ears cannot be stopped 
	from hearing the travesty
	of power abused. 

I listen for the voices of hope
	only moderately successful,
	muffled by the ranting of  
	those willing to make promises 
they cannot or will not keep.

I choose to live in hope 
	even while struggling to manage
the discouraging voices that 
	surround my world.

Such is the task of Advent.

Arthur Schmidt
December 2007