Waking Up

by Nan Fawcett.

Imagine a future where we are all heard,
where we all listen to each other,
not only to our human siblings
but to everything, the large and small inhabitants
of our home planet, listening to everyone’s voice.

Imagine a life where we are open to new thoughts,
where we listen instead of lecture,
where we are eager to explore,
where learning is utterly important
and the status quo does not exist.

Imagine a future where we don’t have to be
martyrs to a present that doesn’t work,
a present that denies our life force
and is leading to a dangerous precipice.
Imagine that we turn around in time.

Imagine taking that curve into the future,
letting go of competition, of rigid beliefs,
pausing before defending, opening our minds
to possible multiple bright outcomes,
moving toward a wide horizon of change.

What have we got to lose?
We have seen enough bleak days.
Now it’s time for bravery and courage.
No more cowering, sadly accepting a flawed world.
Time to imagine, listen, engage.

And we are not alone on this curving path.
The whole living world can be our partners.
They’re already experts in compromise and adaptation,
learning and responding to the wider environment,
seeing and feeling the whole.

Together we can move ahead.
We don’t have to know the destination.
We can evolve as we go,
paying attention, adjusting, imagining, listening.
Following a path to a wide sunny meadow
of renewal, regeneration, and Life.

Nan Fawcett helped to create the first cohousing community in Iowa, Prairie Hill. She and her neighbors focus on living sustainably on their eight acres in the heart of Iowa City.