Time in Real Time

Trends converge. It’s hard to find

An arena of human agreement

That doesn’t harbor human

Disagreements from other,

Larger arenas, escaped

Feuds that turn up everywhere,

Such a quarrelsome species.

Nuns sing Ave Maria

In fury at activists

Protesting their mega-church

Carved from a national park,

And delegates debate time

In an argument over

International standards,

With faith and military

Objections to suggestions

Bringing teams to loggerheads,

And for every hushed meeting

Of silver-tongued diplomats

There’s an active killing zone

And ten fault lines under stress.

Attendees boo candidates

At their own party’s forum,

Where every side’s accusing

The other side of lying.

There’s nothing left in the bank.

There’s nothing left in the tank.

But this will go on, you think.