Bill Lost His Memory

Source:  Joy Camp

 

Bill Lost His Memory
by Benny Wills

 

Bill lost his memory
So he asked me for a summary

I said to him,
Bill, that’s a mighty task
Are there more specific questions you could ask?

So Bill asked,

Why are some people’s homes so wide and tall
While other people have no homes at all?
And if no one wins when bombs are dropped
Why have bombs not yet been stopped?
What’s this grimy, greenish paper called
That’s got you, and them and all enthralled?
Where’d you get this thing called debt?
Where’s the love, where’s the trust, where’s respect?

Why is he afraid of him and she of her and us of them?

Is this a dream, am I dreaming?
Because certainly it’s seeming
That peace could be what’s beaming
Yet I’m seeing and I’m deeming
That this place has gone to hell

And the attitude’s, oh well

I said to him,
It’s true, it’s grim
Things are… bizarre

Bizarre? He said
More like madness, friend
This world is moving forward toward a sad and bitter end

There’s delusion and confusion
Depression from oppression
There’s disillusion, air pollution
And obsession for possession

The memory lapse to which Bill succumbed
I thought was nothing short of scary
On the bright side though, he wasn’t dumb
Or lacking in vocabulary

Well Bill,
The world is run by men in suits
Who wreak havoc and give no hoots
They built a system that is anti-life
That thrives on pain and nurtures strife

A system that’s taught us to fear our neighbor
And please report any strange behavior
Because of an “ism” called “terror”

So the soldiers go on fighting
Thinking that’s what keeps us free
And people go on dying in the name of liberty

And the food we eat is tainted
And the water supply is low
And movie stars are sainted
And prisons grow and grow…

Money is that greenish thing
And you’re lucky if you have it
With enough you get some bling
But nothing if you haven’t

Call it cash, call it currency
Or the almighty intangible dollar
It’s the thing that keeps a few on top
But most of us in squalor

And while empty houses line the blocks
Houseless people sleep on rocks
And flaccid men take little pills
To stiffen up their–

STOP!

Bill interjected, dejectedly

Please, don’t say another word
That hopeless essence in your voice
It’s like you’re chomping on a turd

It’s funny, with no memory
How now my thoughts are crystal clear
Simply simplify the things we do
And the change we need appears

Instead of asking what you want from life
Tap into life and its wants of YOU
Because our wants indeed are limitless
But the wants of life are few

Grow
Unfold
Dare to be of service
Create
Be bold
Align yourself with purpose

Because change won’t come from presidents
It won’t appear on your TV
Or alert you on your cell phone
It comes only from you and me

Obviously!

So smile and say hi to passers passing by

Because the micro affects the macro
Like a ripple in a lake
And slow and steady the system fails
As humanity awakes

Woah, Bill, it has been a pleasure chatting with you
I’m sorry if that sounded sarcastic
It’s really just the way I talk
Your monologue was fantastic
Seriously, I’m enthusiastic

We are healthy cells inside a virus
Who are longing to mature
I am one and you’re another
And together, we’re the cure

Yes! He said
And now we start
Clear the doubt within your mind
Kindness in the human heart
Is the hope for all mankind

🙂