The existential map

Within the cartography of being,

We plot our course through time,

Between the shadows of our making

And the light we hope to find.

Climate shifts and atoms split,

Technology's relentless pace,

Pandemics spread, resources spent,

While stars indifferent watch from space.

Meaning drains from sacred wells,

As institutions crack and fade.

Democracy's erosion tells

Of tribal lines now deeply laid.

We scroll through chambers echoing

With voices just like our own,

While activists burn out fighting

And dialogue skills lie unknown.

Anxiety's dark tendrils spread,

As isolation grows like weeds.

Disconnected from the dead,

From soil, stars, and ancient creeds.

Yet youth rises with banners high,

Regenerative systems bloom.

Digital bridges span the sky

As wisdom from the past exhumes.

Interdisciplinary minds

Weave transparencies of truth.

Global hands now intertwined

Build policies for age and youth.

We tell new stories of our shared

Humanity's unbroken thread.

Emotional intelligence paired

With mindfulness to heal what bled.

The foundation of our flourishing:

Clean water, shelter, food for all,

Education nourishing,

Justice answering each call.

We seek belonging, purpose, rest,

Expression, choice, and dignity.

Reconnection's grand quest

To nature, others, mystery.

Between the threats and hopeful light,

Humanity maps its fragile way,

Charting courses through the night,

Toward the dawn of a better day.