The San Diego Museum of Man is a museum of anthropology.  Anybody can go there and find all kinds of artifacts and explanations for everything from medieval torture to how and why ancient Egyptians made mummies. On my way from my Thursday volunteer job at the Museum of Photograph Arts I stopped for a picture of the museum facade and tower.  By the time I got home, a poem had begun to take shape in my imagination. 

With All This Brightness

With all this brightness in the world

it’s easy to find even in children

wisdom remarkable

regarding war and other atrocities

Isn’t it obvious what’s wrong 

with killing people wholesale

even one at a time selectively

take for example old Adolf

what’s-his-name

shot himself finally

good riddance

in the bunker

meant to save him

what a waste of energy

when he might have been a potato farmer

and they just keep coming

these madmen

who make tender love at midnight

glaze their hearts

yes and even eyes in daylight

not to see what evil they do

but back to the question

with all this brightness in the world

Jesus why doesn’t someone invent

peace on earth?