A poem for 1:23:21 AM

What can I control?

The sun?  The air? Can I ensure that tomorrow comes?

Can I stop death? or the sad lives of unwanted children?

Can I control pain? or guarantee happiness?

I can give my family a safe place to sleep tonight.

Whom can I trust?

My 4th grade teacher, Steve Jobs, Oral Roberts or President Obama?

A newspaper rack or TMZ? The wisdom of crowds? Manufactured celebrities?

Any girl who has whispered in my ear?

I will trust those who truly love me.

What should I believe?

In a God benevolent and omnipresent?  Worlds beyond science?

In a liberal or conservative political vision?  In words from men cleverer than me?

In a hopeful view of humanity?  In pragmatism? In fatalism?

In life?  In Death?

I will err on the side of hope.