If you could really look

If you could look into the eyes of the suffering ones
Your life would never be the same again.
If you could look into the eyes of a dog
Beaten by a man he so wanted to trust
and see both the plea and the forgiveness;
If you could really look.

If you could look into the eyes of a chimpanzee
Shut in a cold concrete box and fed
drugs which might or might not
Work for human beings;
If you could really look.

If you could look into the eyes of a whale,
Her lifeblood pouring into the ocean
So that a trivial piece of research
might be done on her body
before rich Japanese feast on her carcass;
If you could really look.

If you could look into the eyes of little children
Who have watched their parents die from AIDS
Or a neighbour’s machete.
Or who are themselves slowly dying
With bloated stomachs and no food;
If you could really look.

If you could look into those eyes you would see
their plea, “Won’t someone help me please?”
and you would see your own eyes looking back.
And suddenly you would know
that there is no other kingdom,
there is no other country,
there is no other person.
You would know that there is only you
And you are everywhere.
You would know that tomorrow is far away
You would know that there is only here and now
And you would know that it is in your hands.
If you could look – if you could really look.