Every time I start to believe

life has meaning

beyond what you can touch

that karma exists

maybe even god or spirit

every time I think I see a pattern

or destiny

something besides the luck of the draw or

roll of the dice

I remember all the children

killed by neglect or disease or abuse or starvation

murdered in gas chambers, shot, froze begging on a street corner

I remember all the children

who have not been permitted to live out their days

since the world began.

No karma explains a child’s suffering

and a child’s death carries nothing but grief

any other philosophy

is the musing of the privileged

who are just lucky to be alive.