Dangerous Times.

Newly two years old

My daughter clambers over her climbing frame

Babbling to herself in lists of names

While on the other side of the globe

Europe comes apart at the seams

I appreciate our lack of proximity

It limits contagion

But in a globalized economy

The enemy is always and already within

Seeing as how we have now

Strapped ourselves to the back of a beast

As fickle and insane as “The Free Market”

I see my daughter reach for handholds

She watches her feet, seeks a sure footing

While the world falls away beneath her

Spiraling down into fear and uncertainty
Should I hover over her like a helicopter parent
Or let the chips fall where they may?

We live in dangerous times, so we are told

Dangerous times call for strong leadership

Potential dictators wait in the wings

Like excited amateur actors

Ready to strut onto the world stage

And erase history with a hand gesture

My daughter reaches the top of the frame

She pauses for a moment, smiling to herself

Then turns to me: Daddy, I did it
She had no vision of a utopian ideal in mind
Simply a child's joy and euphoria

I reward her achievement with praise

All the while aware of the scaffolding

Of parochialism and xenophobia

Being erected around us

A frame for all those other

More adept and ambitious climbers

© shaun patrick green 2016