During
a recent meeting about systems behavior the economic meltdown found its way
into the conversation. After looking at the crisis from a systems perspective,
many of us started envisioning something new rising from the ashes of the old
system. Suddenly the lyrics to that 1960s Buffalo Springfield song popped into
my head, “what’s that sound? what’s going down?” Later that evening I was moved
to write a poem based on that experience. Here it is:
Echoes of Buffalo
Springfield:
A Poem About the Financial Crisis
by John Renesch
2009 © John Renesch
The
sound of fear is deafening as the cries of pundits pierce the air
Every
day the news is grim and there’s so much talk, oh what despair
But
wait a minute, what’s over here
It
millions of young people starting to cheer
What’s
that sound, what’s going down?
Is
the banker going to take my home, or shall I lose my job?
It
seems so dark from what they say, yet what I heard the other day
Hope
is filling the air, not just gloom and doom
What
is that sound, what is going down?
Something
is dying that’s for sure, but something else is happening here
Nothing
new can happen here until there’s room to grow
This
is nature after all, what’s that sound.
So
start the crying, the old system is going down
Something
new is coming, new life is on the way
Like Buffalo
Springfield said some time ago, it may not be exactly clear
But
we can hear the sound if we lend an ear
Something
is coming, that’s for sure
Stop, children, what's
that sound, everybody look what's going down
Expectancy fills the air,
as does uncertainty and gloom
It is time for hospice
now
Get the midwives ready,
they’ll be needed soon
Listen for the sounds of new
birth, listen for the sounds of grieving
Listen to the sound, for
what it’s worth
The third way is coming
and it might be all new
Just like a baby, but
when is it due?
The ravenous caterpillar
has seen its final days
The glorious butterfly will
soon be born
The golden sky awaits the
end of the storm
No silver sounds, but a
lot going down
Farewell to those who have
lost their souls
The old bull is dying
thanks to you
And welcome to the
hopeful, the eager and the honest
We know it’s a mess, but
please do your best
Thanks
to Buffalo Springfield for having been
And
the song they sang back then
What’s
that…what's that sound?
Everybody look, what's going down.
[In the March issue of my newsletter I reflect on the butterfly metaphor for transformation.]