How Long

I wonder, does the King have to wait very long to be the pauper?

Or the narcissistic dictator long to be the one who is reviled and tormented?

Does the drone operator sitting safe in his office shooting up the refugee camp have to wait very long before he is the grieving mother whose blood is splattered upon her lifeless child?

I wonder how long it will be before those of us complicit in the killing will be the ones killed?

How many lives before the dog beater becomes the dog?

Or the nature lover becomes the tree, the wind, the mountain, the eagle, the sun?

My friends have said, “I want to be your pets in my next life!” Will they be? Or will they be the spirit of the angels who inhabit my pets?

How long and in what ways do our souls seek balance and understanding?

How long does it take to learn our higher lessons before we realize we are all one, seeking our way out of fear and home to Love?

~ J. Chai March 21, 2025