“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

The arc of history and all,

you know, bending toward justice.

We seem to be somewhere

along the upper reaches

of that arc, where the air is thin.

Where it’s hard to breathe.

It is bittersweet to see the arc’s end,

yet be generations removed from it.

It would be soothing

to stare into a grandchild’s face,

thinking of weddings after we’re gone.

Or immerse ourselves in wilderness

without end that we will always be part of.

The blessings of riotous life

in this thin air.

It is our burden and our calling

to ride this arc

like a spaceship to Mars,

feeding each other on our journey,

singing like humpback whales,

imagining a different result,

bending the arc just a bit more.

Saying good night

with a calm heart.

Jack Mayer

Middlebury