SEARCHING FOR BEAUTY

There's too much ugliness by far
in this day's society
murder by knife and gun or car
love and life spent recklessly

Drugs and corruption fill headlines
treason, rape, incest and worse
seeming to spread like kudzu vines
an infection with no cure

One must read far in the news
before there's any better views
yet even in the sporting pages
scandal sells the ink and paper

But if one looks around enough
in the world or even media
there can be found a bit of beauty
growing within the wasteland

For there are peace talks going on
(though not nearly enough)
and forests actually replanted
and fragile wonders set aside
in conservation tracts

Here and there a Don Quixote
still tilts at bureaucratic mills
and men of reason come together
in attempts to find the answers
fighting the good fight
against evils rampant

And flowers bloom
and life is born
even love finds time to flourish
mayhaps that perfect poem is being written
as you read this one which isn't

I opened up today's paper. On page 9 there was the story of another possible cure for a type of cancer. Up above the story was a picture of a bald headed little girl who had just become more beautiful having been given that best of medicines......HOPE