World Interrupted

I feel like I interrupted the
world on the day I was born.

everything had started, life
was already in motion, I had
no control over anything, I felt as awkward
as showing up late to a party and realizing
I wasn't invited.

people were doing what
they are still doing, some
faces have changed, some
have disappeared forever -

I stand in nobody's way.

the world keeps spinning, the
Sun travels through the sky each day,
rain comes and goes, stars
appear in familiar places, the
seasons change -

I do nothing but watch.

everything was here when I arrived.

the dinosaurs came and went,
Christ had his troubles, generations
of men fought over land and religion,
women were second class citizens, for some reason?
and
time had already been calculated and laid out.

But I've seen some things arrive anew
into this world.

still - I had nothing to with their creation.

we've traveled through space, landed on the moon,
taken a look at galaxies deep into the universe; computers
got smarter and smaller and faster and portable and programmable
and affordable, and they've all been connected to each other by wires.

yet this has not pulled us out of the Dark Ages.

people still die from the flu,
cancer,
AIDS,
heart desease,
lung desease,
obiesity,
old age (and we still don't know what age that is,)
a paper cut,
an ear infection;
many still have no homes to live in,
there are still slaves in the world,
some idiots still think skin color matters,
people still hate,
shoot guns at others,
overrun, overturn,
overmedicate,
overuse,
overdose,
overindulge; and then they
have trouble understanding
we were all late to this party.