Consumed by the Cloud of Complacency

A dark, hovering mist of complacency had gathered around them
But they didn't fear.
Instead, they embraced it, as a knight would his shield
"Not seeing"  the suffering would make things  easier.
They didn't want to get involved, and why should they?
After all, their lives were good.

For awhile they lived the high life 
On top of the world they celebrated, occasionally looking down on those less fortunate 
With a pretense of sadness.....they pretended to care...
They didn't have to, their lives were good.

But then, one day "It" happened to them
Unprepared, "It" proceeded to rock their world.

With dazed eyes, they watched in disbelief
The surreal scene unfolding before them

Fire, smoke, shrieking sirens, tears...

Brains overloaded with chaos, screams of terror, pain.

Paralyzed by shock, they stood; still statues, trying to make sense of it all
"This can't be happening, not to us." 
Why had nobody warned them, they wondered,  or had they?
They couldn't remember.....they'd never bothered to listen. They never had to...
Their lives had been good. 

Seized by a panic 

They were forced to seek comfort in
All they perceived to have wisdom
Preachers, scholars, God, the Bible...
Looking, listening, praying for 

A word

A gesture

A smile
A sign 
And they learned.....

They learned to channel fear into compassion and brotherhood
They learned to expel their prejudices, and dismiss judgment
They learned what it means to have faith... 
They learned that in unity there is hope....

Years came and went
Memories faded
One by one the people went back to their own little worlds
Surrounding themselves with locked doors and high fences
they lulled themselves back into a sense of security
Forgetting all they had learned ...
Until, once again, they found they had been
consumed by the cloud of complacency.