Babel | Plenty of Space on Mars
If I could write anything,
it’d be about the millions of worlds
crammed into this ONE
and the claustrophobia that ensues
The overwhelm.
The constant marching of conflicting beats
to unsynchronized drums.
All these worlds colliding
no room for everyone.
no room for every thing
no room for every song,
still this disjointed symphony persists.
Birds of every nation
pointing their melodies—shooting their arrows
across the sky and into the earth
and tangled in trees
we’ve sucked the honey out of every suckle
stretched our footbeds and knuckles
nearly through this belly world
and it’s set us all into morning sickness.
we’ve outgrown it
all of it
we’ve become it
all of it.
and it’s too much.
we’re stacked atop each other reaching for the stars
our space suits
over promise
plenty of space on Mars
not if we can have our way with it.
Somedays, the pessimism is real. Somedays, humanity is not all that impressive. I wrote this on one such day. This poem is not about overpopulation. Rather, it is about the way we treat each other. There is plenty to go around, but we behave as if we live on a planet of scarcity. It’s not that our resources are limited. Our generosity is.
Here’s where the teachings of Jesus are a disruption to our various systems. He taught us to give when we lack, trusting in a higher justice system- a cosmic justice system. Survival of the fittest has been our main mode of operation. And it works, sort of. It depends on the goal. If the goal is to acquire as much and as many as possible, then that is easily attained for the powerful. If the goal is inner peace, a sense of security, and maybe even joy, then acquiring and hoarding at the expense of others will not get you there.
Jesus’s approach was not to demand that everyone share.
Instead,
he appealed to the need for
the inner-self to receive
a love that would result in the
outer-self
opening its hands, palms up,
in generosity
again
and again
and again.
I’m talking about a love that changes your mind about the world, yourself, and others. Not a love we muster up from within ourselves, but a love we accept being poured over us and absorbed by calloused skin. Jesus was talking about a God-sized love that shocks every assumption we have right out of our system. This is a freedom we all crave but go about trying to attain through various destructive methods. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
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I plan to keep this going because I know the power of words and I intend to use them in a way that offers hope, validation of the human experience, and maybe a tear here and there. Join me as we stick it to the algorithm gods, one good read at a time ;-)
Extras:
Tobe Nwigwe’s Tiny Desk
The first song, Houston Tribute, is some of Tobe’s best writing in my opinion. Below are some of the lyrics. Songs like this are why Tobe is hands down one of my favorite artists alive right now. As I was uploading this, I had to stop to rewatch the entire thing. It’s just gold. Straight up gold.
Houston Tribute (excerpt)
…Most people get explicit when tryin' to visitThe mountain top to sacrifice all with that and the thicket, ughI'm speaking solely of atonementAnd most would get it if they weren't livin' just for the momentThe air we breathe is rented, repent if you think you own itThat's hard to comprehend when you busy bendin' them cornersLoners is what they say you must become to separate yourselfThat's a misnomer, relationships are the greatest wealthThe problem is you in relationships with hate itselfIs the sole establishment so much so you wouldn't date yourselfOuch, that's a pinch that might cause an abrasionBut don't fret, we all miss some steps F'n with Satan…
—Tobe Nwigwe
Terraform
Stop & Listen Playlist
A collection of all recommended songs from my substack. It’s not curated for any particular mood, but a collection of gems I’ve found while passing through all my moods.
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