' Symphony of Life ' by Thaddeus Tadeusz Hutyra

My life from the moment I was born
to my adolescence
was East meets West
behind the Iron Curtain
There were some triumphant moments
as the unforgettable one
of joining Solidarity movement
a pearl in Polish people struggle
for freedom and independence

How many marvelous times
we were marching on the Cracow's streets
demanding rights
chanting freedom slogans
alongside all those other events
taking place across the country
Yes, it was symphony of life
amaranthine symphony of life

Then came a startling reverse
my life became West meets East
emigrating to New Zealand
staying in China for a while
supporting Tiananmen students
who were struggling for freedoms
as known elsewhere in the world
cheering Poland emerging as a free nation
and the fall of the Berlin Wall
Finally settling down in Belgium
Yes, it still was symphony of life
amaranthine symphony of life

My life is now world meets world
one of the twenty first century
a complex one, turbulent
with dark clouds still on the horizon
demanding constant dedication
to what is happening
It all seems to be like a starship
on a cosmic speedway among the stars
Lost, however, on the way
and flying through a fiery ball
of one unknown star

Look closely now
what a mess is there in the world
Putin, the godfather
acting as if international law
was nothing else but a piece of paper
while holding his fingers
on the nuclear buttons
IS ultra Islamist Caliphate
which emerged on our very eyes
sowing terror of all times
AIDS, Ebola, one doesn't know what else
rising levels of oceans
degrading biodiversity

Have we found ourselves
on the crossroads defying our future ?
Is our starship on the right path
among the guiding signposts of the stars ?
Have we forgotten
our freedoms and dignity
are the most what counts ?
Just listen to your heart
to the symphony of life
amaranthine symphony of life

Oh, play us, masters of all times
play us Ludvig van Beethoven
Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
play us amazing Hector Berlioz
your Fantastic Symphony
play us brilliant Gustav Mahler
your ethereal Eighth Symphony
play us great masters of all time
Sergei Rachmaninoff, Vittorio Giannini
so many other brilliant souls among you
Play us your starry symphonies
each adding a tremendous brick
into the symphony of life
amaranthine symphony of life