Distant Sirens

 

More often than not, I believe the distant sirens I hear are the result of someone doing something stupid.

People are forever changing lanes without looking, or someone will notice a road sign and fail to see the traffic in front of them has stopped.

There are no sirens for things on a grander scale.  When society does something stupid, things just trudge onward.  People have allowed greed to permeate their government.  They ignore the fact that television has completely sold out to advertisers, and electronic media has hunted the free press to extinction. No sirens are going off.

Big drug companies have manipulated the system to remove all competition.  Again, no sirens.  

Medical professionals allow themselves to be run by insurance companies.  Again we hear nothing.

Our society is careening off course and none of us are belted in.

I believe that if my voice is a distant siren, no one is listening.

I think I'll ignore it and go back to sleep.  Surely it can't be left to some obscure blogger to save the world.

A distant siren

"Come gather round people

wherever you roam

and admit that the waters

around you have grown

and accept it that soon

you'll be drenched to the bone

if your time to you is worth savin

and you better start swimmin

or you'll sink like a stone

for the times they are a-changin

Come writers and critics

who prophesize with your pen

and keep your eyes wide

the chance won't come again

and don't speak too soon

for the wheels still in spin

and there's no tellin who

that it's namin

for the loser now

will be later to win

for the times they are a-changin

Come senators, congressmen

please heed the call

for he that gets hurt

will be he who has stalled

the battle outside ragin

will soon shake your windows

and rattle your walls

for the time they are a-changin

Come mothers and fathers

throughout the land

and don't criticize

what you can't understand

Your sons and your daughters

are beyond your command

the old road is rapidly changin

Please get out of the new one

if you can't lend your hand

for the times they are a-changin

The line it is drawn

The curse it is cast

the slow one now

will later be fast

and the present now

will later be past

the order is rapidly fadin

and the first one now

will later be last

for the times they are a-changin."

B. Dylan