Vision of a Utopia

Walking outside on a cold winter day

I find my view obstructed,

Glasses fogged over from my own steamy breath.

Dull gray sky above and bare brown trees blend together

Coalescing and reforming into something new

A personal utopia; my own escape

From all the injustices and cruelties of this reality

A world free of rape and murder,

Free of sexism and racism and bigotry

Of starvation and poverty.

Where everyone is a perfect suburban family

Straight out of a 1950's sitcom,

Every neighborhood filled with rows

Of uniform white houses and pristine white cars

But the cold wind on my face clears the fog,

I feel the rain pricking my scalp and hands

Hear the errant chirps of birds in the treetops

See the sun behind the clouds,

Its bright white light diffusing through the sky.

And at that moment,

Even if I could shape the Earth into a mirror of that utopia

The only thing I would change

Would be to grant everyone the courage to stand up to injustice

And the strength to carry the weight of the world's cruelties on our shoulders