Monday, June 2, 2008

4. Let the Games Begin!

A friend introduced me to KIVA yesterday. I'd never heard of it, but I had heard of the system and it thrills me that I may become part of such a delicious scheme. And, let's face it, the fact that, in some small way, I may be able to help other women is an added bonus. This isn't a commercial, but my new-found interest has inspired today's rather-more-serious-than-usual poem. It's still a bit tongue-in-cheek though. I had no idea of advertising when I started this BLOG and I may never advertise again. I just couldn't resist this, though.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!
There was a time when games were played by children;
When the adults were too occupied to play,
For their noses were pressed hard against the grindstone,
As they toiled till they were old and bent and grey.
But we're the really lucky generation,
With our health, our strength, our playing games on-line.
Arthritis may bedevil us, but we're still having fun
And 'second childhood's' something rather fine.
There's 'FREERICE'? What a site for sore eyes!
One's vocabulary grows, each day, more grand.
And each added grain helps ease another's hunger
And we feel a glow each time we lend a hand.
We may not be rich enough to make much difference,
And we may not be do-gooders in the least,
But, by playing games, we ease some little burden,
And a million million grains is quite a feast!
And KIVA seems to be another answer:
' What does charity achieve?' we often say.
Now, without a trace of any condescencion,
We can help someone, somewhere, in some small way.
And there must be other ways to play life's new games,
To have fun and, by so doing, feel that glow
That, maybe, millionaires have felt before us,
As our largesse helps another's small change grow.
The 'circuses' of ancient Rome were foretastes
Of the sad decline the empire would endure;
Some say our taste for modern 'beer and skittles'
Is a sign that we are in decline, for sure.
But I prefer to think that we can harness
Our childish little urge to have some fun.
After all, our selfish wish to live in comfort
Can be the goad for harnessing the sun.
So why not turn our backs on politicians,
With their wily ways and never-ending drone?
Humanity, it seems, loves to be playful.
Let's rule the world by having fun, alone!
The Eurovision Contest world-expanded,
Could decide the outcomes while mere mortals bet!
I wish I had a few more years of living!
It may happen one day, but, I fear, not yet.

1 comment:

Kat said...

I have seen this Free Rice game too. Bless the soul that combined entertainment and food-for-the-hungry.

Your writing... "...We may not be rich enough to make much difference... We can help someone, somewhere, in some small way..." reminded me of a story... thought of sharing it with you.

A man was walking down a deserted Mexican beach at sunset. As he walked along he began to see another man in the distance. As he grew nearer he noticed that the local native kept leaning down, picking something up, and throwing it out into the water. Time and again he kept hurling things out into the ocean.

As our friend approached even closer he noticed that the man was picking up starfish that had washed up onto the beach, and one at a time, he was throwing them back into the ocean.

The first man was puzzled. He approached the man and said, "Good Evening Friend, I was wondering what are you doing?" And he replied, "I'm throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it's low tide right now and all these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If I don't throw them back into the sea, they will die from the lack of oxygen."

"I understand," my friend replied "but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach and you couldn't possibly get to all of them. There are simply too many and don't you realize that this is happening on hundreds of beaches up and down this coast ... can't you see that that you can't possibly make a difference?

The local native smiled, bent down, picked up yet another starfish and as he threw it back out into the sea, he replied, "It made a difference to that one!"

You may feel like you cannot make a difference in the world today, but you CAN make a difference in one life at a time.