She sits at the edge of her bed, the room humming softly. Out the dome shaped window giant cylinders rotate slowly around the space station, Maintaining gravity. Beyond them the endless sea of stars. She glances over her shoulder to the far wall of her sleeping pod And reads the same words, and again she ponders:
Love Joy Peace Patience Kindness Goodness Faithfulness Gentleness Self-Control
The piece of art, an heirloom, had been in her family for generations Ever since the great migration, before Earth’s final desolation. It was in the style of Motivational Wall Art, popularized in the early 21st century And said to have originated from the Walmart sect of the Christian Capitalists, Whose power soared after the American oligarchy took reign. It had been in her family for 300 years, 12 generations back, one of the few pieces of art that remained from the Earth inhabitation days.
The words were not unfamiliar to her. Biblical text had been part of her studies She often pondered their meaning, always hanging over her family’s quarters. A dark reminder of history, Words on a faded canvas Did her ancestors think that just by hanging these high ideals on their wall They might bear such fruitfulness? Was it a joke that those in power played on the powerless To peddle inspired words based on scriptural text While simultaneously Polluting oceans, Bombing hospitals, Destroying education, Starving children, Turning away humans? She considers the many atrocities of those days, The faded letters a daily reminder Of what was lost And what endured.
Small Burdens 