The Human Element

For each of us,
there is a moment of discovery.
We turn a page,
we raise a hand.
And just then, in the flash of a synapse,
we learn that life is elemental.
And this knowledge changes everything.
We look around and see the grandness of the scheme.
Sodium bonding with chlorine,
carbon bonding with oxygen,
hydrogen bonding with oxygen.
We see all things connected.
We see life unfold.
And in the dazzling brilliance of this knowledge,
we may overlook the element not listed on the chart.
Its importance so obvious,
its presence is simply understood.
The missing element
is the human element.
And when we add it to the equation,
the chemistry changes.
Every reaction is different.
Potassium looks to bond with potential.
Metals behave with hardened resolve.
And hydrogen and oxygen form desire.
The human element
is the element of change.
It gives us our footing to stand fearlessly
and face the future.
It is a way of seeing
that gives us a way of touching.
Issues,
ambitions,
lives.
The human element.
Nothing is more fundamental.
Nothing more elemental.