Thought For Mlk Jr. Day 2020 Poem by Gayathri Seetharam

Thought for MLK Jr. Day 2020
-Gayathri B. Seetharam
I saw three philosophy books on my son's desk
And with a mother's pride, I asked him what Hellenistic Philosophy was
For I knew what Hedonistic Philosophy is
And he replied in an exasperated voice
(For to a Social Sciences student who has had the
Good fortune of studying Greek in high school,
It is basic knowledge)
It is Greek philosophy;

I rue the fact that hedonism rules in all our lives
In present day and television and movies are chosen over reading books
This is leading me into thinking uncharitable thoughts about myself and my beloved son
And I feel disloyal to my inner self and my role as a mother
Reading involves study and contemplation
Unless it is an enjoyable book
Which is an easy read
And the bizarre thing about my son is that he prefers
Non-fiction to fiction and on careful deliberation,
I feel that this is a commendable attribute;

Harping on the subject of study and contemplation,
There are areas of skill and sports which one cannot keep in synch with
For they cannot be picked up where left off
As in driving cars or swimming or playing tennis,
For these were my fortes years ago,
And out of sight is out of mind,
But the good aspect of most areas of study
And even fields like engineering and theoretical medicine,
Is that one can, with work put into it,
Excel if one has the intelligence and talent;

Politics for this is a field where everybody is an expert in
For it is all over the news
Is where people are opinionated
And diplomacy comes into play even in everyday conversations
And today is the first of two days when the Senate after a hearing
Will decide if Pres. Donald Trump is to be impeached
Meaning he is not a peach of a president;

He is most certainly a racist president
Who is also sexist
And despite the fact that he has his daughter rather than his sons in the government
He has said unforgiveable things about women,
But you have to remember that he places women's looks over their achievements
Leastways, has a history of doing so for he ran the Miss Universe beauty pageant;

On Jan 21st,2020, a day after MARTIN LUTHER KING Jr.'s day,
I am saddened by the fact that the legacy left by this great man
Is being made a mockery of by a man who is not an "enemy of the state"
Who is in fact a man at the helm of power
And despite his many critics and I count myself among one of them,
One cannot deny that he has a pleasant manner
With a narcissistic attitude but then most leaders when talking about their achievements,
Might strike one as being narcissistic,
As might a person trying to make a comeback in my career;

I saw on the internet two quotes from Martin Luther King Jr.
And it said: "Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness."
And: "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
Bearing in mind that I have limited resources and like the comforts of life and luxury and
Convenience and am opposed to needless rebelling at the established order
Unless it is in the interests of truth and great revolutions have made history and
Strengthened the character of the human race,
I say that the Senate must fight the destructive selfishness or malaise which may creep into the USA
And judge wisely in times of challenge and controversy, the impeachment trial of Pres. Donald Trump.