I remember so many things
and forget more than I recall.
The frenzied crowd hydra-headed
reminds me of the colosseum.
Intake of breath,
the roar of the lion's passion
unleashed.
The hot sun, cohesive crowd
that other beast of appetites
insatiable.
I remember mobs at Munich
and other crowds.
Puppets of power
men in the mass
impelled and caught
insanity of the hour.
Christ on the cross
martyrs burning and Jews bleeding;
always the mob derisory.
A blade of grass
one of many fortifies me.
A mountain peak
restores my hope
when I recall the strange story
of its beginning and final glory.
(From Sunrise magazine, August/September 1997. Copyright © 1997 by Theosophical University Press)