I Worry…
©2023 Louise Gallagher

I worry
that humanity will never find an end to war

I worry
this beautiful planet we call home will grow weary of our excesses and excuses.

I worry 
that the sun will grow tired of shining,
the winds die down or rage too strong
the rivers overflow or dry up
the air grow too thick or disappear completely 

I worry
the trees will stop abiding by the seasons
the earth will quit giving life
the wheatfields will grow fallow and the flowers die forever
and the darkness will overcome the light.

I worry
and in all that worry one thing remains constant

I am not powerful enough to stop the guns blazing
the planets spinning
the sun shining or hiding behind grey clouds

I alone am not powerful enough to change the river’s flow
the consistency of air
the nature of trees
the colour of dirt
the bounty of wheatfields
the perpetuation of flowers
the depth of the darkness.

What I am powerful enough to do
Is let go of worrying
and move, confidently and with grace
into everything I can do
to create harmony in my world

I am powerful enough to do everything I can
to preserve
the integrity of this planet
the health of its rivers and fields
its mountains and streams
and always, shine light and love where darkness would prevail.

I am powerful enough to stop worrying 
about the things 
I cannot change
and instead, do my part to change
the thing I know I can
to bring us together to change the world.

I can dare boldly to change
Myself