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.