"The Stars"

by Paul Eckerman

As I lay here, underneath the stars,
I wonder, I think, I ponder.
Surrounded by a million points of light,
I question, I doubt, I suffer.

For all our advances, are we happier?
For all our technology, is life easier?

Violence, brutality and injustice persist.
Pain, suffering and alienation abound.
I am surround by the inhumanity by day
Just as I am surrounded by the stars at night.

I look upon it, and it makes me feel small.
So tiny, so powerless.
No matter to action I take, the task I perform,
It remains unchanging.  Looking down on me,
Looking up at it.

c. 1997