Awakening II: The Poetry of Gunnar Våken

Poem: Anticipation

Blocks of lego
Stacks of toy cars
Dogeared paper and chipped
Crayons
Ballroom dancing
On living room floors
Is a bit high-risk
From dusk to dawn

Liberal sentiments
And softhearted pleas
Are rare
When profiteers
Make ethics an
Endangered species

Waiting for movement
Waiting for open doors
Waiting for a boxing match
Strike openings
To send foes sailing
To the canvas floor

From early 20s formations
Through ups and downs
In jobs, communities, schools
My values have basically
Remained intact
Wedded to the golden rule

Life is both a struggle
And a chance to catch
Your breath
Life can both be tragic
And comical
In a frenzy
Or at rest

We cannot simply allow
Maslow's bottom rung
Of food and shelter
To erase good values
And all ethics plunder

Even the animals
Take what's needed
And remain within limits
They don't slaughter
Their own
Or sell out
To gimmicks

While blood flows through
These veins
And air courses
Through
These lungs
I anticipate
Love and honesty
Will ever be the beat
On my lifeline's drums

~ Gunnar Våken