Wise and honest words. Well done!

Rebecca

Lovely image used with this one, Ed. It reminds me of the Big Wood River Valley in Spring, near Sun Valley, Idaho. Solstice is also a time of awakening and renewed hope that Spring will once again occur, of course, and what more encouragement does one need to clear out one's overburdened and bogged-down brain cells than a good Finnish sauna, followed by a dip in the adjacent lake? Your poem is a virtual sauna, that prompts a fresh desire for catharsis in America almost as much as the systemic shock of a REAL Winter-time sauna! Thanks for sharing that important and inspiring exhortation with us and very best wishes for a relaxing and pleasant New Year's entry! -K2

A very appropriate call to action as we watch the sheep follow the wrong signals, hurrying the demise of mother earth without regard of the consequences.

I'll be in there fighting with you.

Ron

You got it, Ed. You've penned a poem that carefully holds out the right hand and slaps the hell out of our left. Yes, writing an honest appraisal of where we are and what 2026 might bring is a task that requires both positive and negative understandings we all should take to heart. "... self-made destinies" fits well with my own philosophy that we create our own realities if we want to dodge the victim-machine that so many love to hug. Please make your own bed and sleep in it... yes. Thanks for posting; you've added to the reality of the end of the year, which I, too, tried to bring forward in my last few postings.