This page was created by Alison Morgan.  The last update was by students at Xavier University.

Our World With and For the Future

Two Mornings

1.

You wake up to an assertive buzzing from your bedside table.
You aren’t the first person awake in the busy city.
 
The horns are honking as the source of the sound speeds by.
You leap out of bed in a hurry to locate your ironed clothes.
 
As you rush around your apartment, your eyes focus on the moving hands inside your watch.
Eventually, you are waving anxiously on the street to get the attention of a hungry cab driver.
 
Your energy for the day comes from a dark roast held in one hand.
The cubical, filled with pictures and agendas, is your only personal space.
 
You stretch your legs upon your boss’ request.
Made by trips to pick up the over exaggerated amount of copies for a new construction plan.
 
The ones replacing yet another healthy landscape full of so much potential to stay beautiful.
Instead of the flower’s magical aromas, it’s just a musty scent from the smoke pipes.
 
But, that’s how life works.
The paycheck comes from continuous growth.
 
After an eight hour work day, you finally loosen your tie
Looking out the window at the busy life around you.
 
Pigeons flailing as cars weave by.
Every movement seems to have a purpose.
 
In a city with pollution in the air,
The only patch of grass is found in the park.
 
You feel claustrophobic
With each breath of the stuffy air.
 
As you look out your window, you see a fully lit skyline
That strips the midnight sky of its beauty.
 
Just like the factory smoke,
Your daily routine is unchanging.
 
Your life continues to move in one simple direction.
Nothing stopping you to appreciate the world around you.
 
There are no flowers in bloom
Or far off landscape to encourage your travel.
 
Before you can address that curiosity growing inside you,
You wake up to an assertive buzzing from your bedside table.
 
2.

The birds whisper that it is time to wake up.
The sun hides behind the mountains in the distance,
Shy as if it is trying not to take you by surprise.
The lake is glossy waiting to be broken apart by gusts of wind.
You can see for miles in each direction.
 The air is fresh as you slowly inhale the beauty around you.
The numerous trees provide cushion to the mountains.
The pink and orange sky eventually shifts to a deep blue with few clouds
As the sun continues to beat down over you.
The forest begins to come alive.
Beavers make their way into the water
As the deer graze on the edge cautiously watching over the land.
Hawks circle overhead keeping watch on every movement.
Each body stirring silently with elegance.
As you gaze out into the distance,
You appreciate these images with fear your voice will destroy the fragile setting.
You become mesmerized by the sunset in the distance.
Mother Nature drugs you with her beauty.
She scatters glowing diamonds across the night sky.
Their reflections are just as elegant against soft ripples.
As you fall asleep to crickets humming a lullaby,
Creatures continue to dance under the moonlight.
And before you know it,
The birds whisper that it is time to wake up.

Read Claire's Artist's Statement

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