What Did You Come To The Earth For?

What did you come to the earth for

A voice said to me…

__

I came to hear the whistlers whistle

And to hear the players play and the singers sing

I came to see the dancers dance

And to watch dogs play and to hear bells ring.

__

I came to see the sun rise and set

And the earth change through the seasons

I came to see all the earth's little and big creatures

I came for all these reasons.

__

I came to waltz with my fellow humans

Through shops and museums, restaurants, churches, and concert halls

I came to witness the passions and struggles of humankind

In homes, schools, offices, farms, factories, hospitals, tents, and under bridges, in rehabs, in courts, and behind prison walls.

__

I came to marvel at human progress

Houses, phones, medical devices, games, architecture, and cars

I came to worry about the persistence of human problems

Greed, cruelty, pain, injustice, violence, mistrust, and wars.

__

I came to see, to think, to act, to worry, to pray

To breathe, to eat, to sleep, to experience, and to love

I came to feel the wonder and awe

Of art, insights, miracles

And that which comes from looking beyond and above.

__

I came to witness, know, think about, act upon

To taste of life, bitter and sweet, what is my share

I came to experience all there is to life

Brief,  precious, fragile, as a candle flame

Gone with a single puff of air.

__

Inspired by 1) hearing someone whistle 2) reading about Oliver Burkeman's 4000 weeks and Cosmic Insignificance Therapy, 3) my recent trip to San Diego, and 4) a precious little dog called Ollie.