When I Grow Up

VERY ROUGH DRAFT OF A POEM

WHEN I GROW UP

I believe we all have a desire to make a difference
Somewhere on this planet –
in the lifetime we have been given.

When I was younger, I dreamed of singing my way
To world peace –
I hoped to staunch the Ethiopian famines
Heal the maimed and broken bodies of abused children
Nurture the orphans, the immigrants, the lonely and alone….

Instead, I went on to make money.
I bought a new convertible and drove the L.A. freeways,
Fast wind in my face,
Tasting the wealth of Bel Air and Santa Monica
I forgot my idealism, I forgot my dreams

I turned away from the ugly homeless on the corners
The gray-haired heroine addict who begged for food
My shades blocked all views of the gangs, the filth, the poverty
Surrounding my neighborhood

When I was younger, I dreamed of singing my way
To world peace –
I woke up one morning to find unhappiness
Served up in big portions on my dining table
Profound grief shattered my sense of reality

I moved away from the Mecca of materialism
Back to my homeland of green fields and pine
I remembered that I could make a difference
somewhere
In this big world

Today, I am a teacher
I teach the orphans to read,
I feed the minds of the lonely,
I console the abused,
I am making a difference
Somewhere on this planet
With the lifetime I have been given.