Contemplation

I attempt to look at life in all its richness,
seeking to be affected
at levels deeper than those of thought.

I contemplate
The birth of a baby —
The parent’s sense of joy and wonder,
The celebrations.

I contemplate a death —
the grief, the sense of loss,
the funeral rites.

I move from one scene to the other,
from the wedding to the ward and back again.
I contemplate a sports stadium
— the crowds, the players,
the cheering, the excitement.

I contemplate an old folks’ home
— an elderly person sitting at a window
reminiscing.

I contemplate the swimming pool of a luxury hotel
— the sparkling water
the sounds of merriment,
the bright sun in the sky.

I contemplate the slums of the poor
— the stench,
the people sleeping on the ground,
the rats and cockroaches.

I contemplate a cabinet meeting…