1970 Miracle Yearbook

This has always been one of my favorite places, My home isjust afew minutes away; When I was a little girl I used to come here with my dad And watch the sailboats and the noisy gulls And the kids fishing and the couples walking And the old men sleeping in the sun. . . I loved the way the sun shone on the water And the sound the ripples made Lapping against the breakwall; I loved the cool breeze and the scent. . . But it's not much fun to come here anymore. The water is murky The sun clouded And the scentfoul. . . The gulls choke on industrial waste And Governor Rhodes declared the fish Unfit for human consumption. . . Man has polluted everything: His environment His body His character; He has managed to distort the world so cruelly That today Our peace is more violent than our war, Our love is a twisted figment of sensualism, And our compassion a meaninglesscode Ofcold ethics and religion. . . We take instead ofgive Wescream instead oflisten We curse instead ofcare And it seems as ifonly a miracle could Change the pollution. . . But it would not take a miracle, Just people who have had A miracle worked in their lives, People who can live together and work to- gether And tolerate each other's differences And thereby teach the world. . . The 1970 Miracle Is all about people Their government,their dialogue, Their competition, Their involvement with and commitment to A better way. . . But let us not be satisfied With an individual miracle, Let us seek to cause what Senator Kennedy Called a"ripple ofhope" Thatcan become a current Strong enough to dash The mostformidable walls of Injustice and wrong. . . Let us work for the miracle ofchange In a world that yields most painfully To change. . . 624, 220