We’re living in a world gone mad
Or so it seems from all the scenes
That flood our screens and leave us sad
It’s a cacophony of noise
Of endless chatter to flatter
The bullies strutting on the stage
Who smash and grab with lethal toys
Like man-size boys who lust and thrust
Who hypnotise and peddle lies
That make us feel the world’s gone mad
We’re living in a world of wars
Of great divides and poisoned tides
Of choosing sides and settling scores
With empires built on blighted sands
And battles fought for oil and soil
It’s power sought at any cost
And massing of dark hordes of wealth
By swag or stealth, all honour’s lost
While puppets dance, life’s left to chance
To dice with death in worlds at war
We’re living in a world of change
Of wicked memes and broken schemes
Of lucid dreams where minds can range
With fresh ideas to intervene
Like a suture for our future
It’s choices that we make each day –
To build or break, to heal or hate –
That seal our fate and call our play:
To lurch faster to disaster
Or make a better world through change
We’re living in a world of hope
Of lifted veils and blazing trails
Where twists of the kaleidoscope
Turn patterned rays into a maze
Of star-bright ways to navigate
Where science draws from nature’s book
And talks us back down from the ledge
To gain the edge and innovate
To change our goal and take our role
As envoys for new worlds of hope
— Wayne Visser