are what dispenses lessons 

learned (or failed) to avail us 

 

with enlightenment 

that will end naïveté 

or, if ignored, will 

 

suspend the path to evolve 

to hasten it to devolve. 

 

Hence, the importance 

of the stance to see a thing 

for what it is and 

 

nothing more nor nothing less 

will secure best chances for 

future advances. 

As always, the Talking Stick 

passes each to each 

 

to speak and be politely 

heard, keen on every word. 

 

Clockwise to the left, 

the Talking Stick will be passed 

to amass all thoughts.

"WJJ's Talking Stick" Photo by Ward Jarman

[Grace]

 

Marlene, am I allowed, . . . here?

 

[Marlene]

 

Certainly, I have brought you

 

to learn the concerns 

that burn in the hearts of those 

who chose these three coins 

 

to anchor their loyalty 

to community before 

 

any wannabe 

royalty since history 

has accurately 

 

and unequivocally 

recorded the blood spilt with 

 

lives and fortunes lost 

at a most terrible cost 

for governance by 

 

the People for the people. 

Democracy is freedom 

of conscience to choose 

wisely or poorly absent 

omniscient knowledge. 

 

Hence, the two sides of the coin 

with Responsibility 

 

to be fast fused, cast 

irrevocably, to be 

conjoined with Freedom 

 

will be items chained in a 

positive correlation. 

 

Slaves have only one 

responsibility: Do 

whatever they’re told. 

 

As the array of choices 

displays more options to weigh 

 

needed solutions 

about the problems to solve, 

prudence requires 

 

a much higher level of 

responsibility to 

 

sift carefully through 

discrepancies that will seize 

a higher degree 

of confidence to instill 

less anxiety and more 

 

soothing hopefulness 

that your best course of action 

gives satisfaction. 

 

Hence, to nurture others means 

to facilitate learning 

 

by providing the 

means to do so, to grow a 

strong community. 

 

So, when The Stick comes along, 

speak, because you belong . . . here.

 

[Terrence]

 

Hence, consilience 

as a consequence forewarns 

against singular 

 

approaches toward offsetting 

problem areas etching 

 

constant erosion 

of sustainability 

regarding past tasks 

forging contemporary 

gains that became cysts of pain. 

 

Bipedal homo 

sapient creatures were new 

features upon Earth 

 

among diverse animals 

and were physically more 

 

worse in their defense 

against the voracity 

of talons and claws, 

 

of snake venom, speedy cats 

that maul, scratch and bat at their 

 

prey’s fat hindquarters 

or mega tons of girth worth 

risking the dangers 

 

of hairy monsters with tusks 

for forceful thrusts against all 

 

who would eat their flesh. 

Puny homo sapiens 

braved predator/prey 

 

tensions with only slivers 

of hope to escape their neck’s 

fate to snap under 

the jaw’s crushing trap that saps 

life from wretched prey. 

 

Human communion, fostered 

by opposing thumbs coupled 

 

with composing sounds 

bound for language construction 

when voice box shifted, 

 

would become the three forces 

inflicted upon the world 

 

of fierce animals 

when we would be hurled forward 

to have dominion 

 

over the total region 

of the habitats of Earth.

 

[Diane]

 

I am Diane and 

I want to understand why 

we think we’re so grand 

 

to expand unrestrained greed 

to feed and claim everything 

as ours by right. 

Are we stewards or clever, 

gifted predators 

 

awarded an elitist 

status afforded those few 

 

who despise and rue 

to socialize with the vast 

mass of commoners 

 

who toil hard to foil 

fierce poverty’s harsh hardships.

 

[Terrence]

 

Diane, your cross words 

belie this assembly when 

you collectively 

 

toss ‘us’ into the word ‘we’ 

as if we would be feigning 

 

our loyalty 

to the coins reigning over 

our best efforts 

 

to achieve the common quest 

prominently displayed on 

 

the banners that wave 

among us here who carry 

daily the three coins.