for the better

looking out at the world

upwards

while standing on

my front porch

i am filled

with a sense of yearning

to see this world change sufficiently

for the better

in ways that i have 

hoped for

for as long as i can remember

in my own small part

and for my own small part

i have never let up

and perhaps

that is all i can ask 

of myself

i don't believe

that it's appropriate

to ask the same of others

each of us finds our way

to rightness and goodness

(more often it finds us first)

in our own time

and in our own way

and yet

i cannot prevent my heart

from 

expressing its most fervent hope

that no matter

who 

or what you are

that you accept the privilege of life

by bringing

whatever goodness you can

into this world

and in so doing

this world will change

gently

inexorably

for the better