A Christmas Centus

The Rogue Speaks:

A Christmas Centus

 

 

“The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow gave a luster of midday to objects below…”

White snow.  Bright snow.    At the edge of the field, Mira saw a deer nibbling a patch of grass that had been sheltered from the snow storm by the thick trees.  To her left, she could see Christmas lights twinkling in town.  It was her first Christmas alone since he had died.  Still, she had decorated a tree, and had even put the old electric candles in the front windows.

“Mom?”

Mira turned.  There stood her children, their faces ruddy from the cold.

“Merry Christmas!”  they cried.

 

 

 

 

 

This little story is linked to Jenny's Saturday Centus.  Merry Christmas, Centusians!!!

E is for ENDEMIC

The Rogue Speaks:

One spring and summer, back in the 50's, a polio epidemic broke out in America.  We were young--in grammar school--and polio was horribly frightening to our parents.  We stayed at home, and were not allowed to go to Sunday school, or play with our friends.  We were not allowed to leave our yards, until the epidemic had ended.

Thanks to the work of Drs. Salk and Sabin, polio has been eradicated in America, and actually in most of the world, except Pakistan.  There is a polio epidemic in Pakistan, and the World Health Organization sent health-care workers there to administer the polio vaccine in order to save the lives of children and adults.  Most of those workers are women, who went door to door administering the liquid vaccine to children.

So far, more than eight of those workers have been shot by a militant extremist group, namely the Taliban, who is certain that the immunization is a plot by the CIA to either kill or sterilize the Pakistani people.  The United Nations has suspended the vaccinations on Wednesday, even though polio is endemic to Pakistan, and the country now suffers a serious health crisis.

The Taliban is an Islamic fundamentalist religious/political group that is found primarily in Pakistan and Afghanistan.  The Muslim groups who interpret Islam in a kind and gentle way have been highly critical of the Taliban and its interpretation of Islamic law, and especially of its brutal treatment of women.  Recently, a 15 year old girl, Malala Yousufzai, was shot in the head by the Taliban for speaking out in support of education for girls.

There are many fundamentalist political/religious groups in the world today, and they are not all followers of Islam.  In my opinion, any fundamentalist group who has no tolerance for the beliefs of others, and who seeks to control an entire population and spew disdain and hatred in the face of any people who would not be controlled by them and follow their way of life should be driven out of existence.  There will never be Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Men as long as anyone is persecuted in the name of religion.

That's my view, and I'm stickin' to it!  Now I'm going out to cut pine boughs for my mantle.  I'm hoping it will hide the pet odors that now seem to be everywhere in my house.  Rod thinks is just my imagination.

This is a MUST READ:     

http://bluegrassnotes.wordpress.com/2012/12/20/the-energy-of-a-billion-focused-on-peace/

This post is linked to Alphabe-Thursday

Christmas 2012

The Rogue Speaks:

I learned today that Avi Richman, one of the children who was killed in Sandy Hook, was the daughter of one of my son-in-law's former graduate students at the University of Arizona.  Yes, it is a very small world and an unexpected sorrow can touch any and all of us with the speed of a bullet.

The first line of my poem is the prompt Jenny gave us for this Saturday Centus, and it is the basis for my offering this week--the prompt, plus 100 words:

CHRISTMAS 2012

 

 

On the thirteenth day of Christmas,

Here in our nation,

In quiet Sandy Hook

There was no celebration.

 

The stockings had hung

By the chimney with care,

But some little children

Had never been there.

 

To open their presents

And chatter with glee.

A gunman had killed them

And shattered the tree

 

That had stood all bejeweled

With tinsel and light,

But there was no Santa

To come in the night.

 

The country was weeping

And wondering why

Those sweet little babies

All had to die.

 

They’re now all in Heaven,

In God’s tender care.

Maybe one day

We will meet with them there.

 

 

America is unique in the world for its fascination with guns.  It has the highest gun ownership per capita rate than any other nation.  There are 9 guns for every 10 people in this country.  Why?????