I Worry Poem by Shalom Freedman

I WORRY

Even though I live in happiness most of the time
I worry
I worry about the well-being of my wife my children my grand-children my step grandchildren and their families
I worry about my sister and her family
And my late brother's family
I worry about my friends and their health
I worry about my own health
About the pains I have
About the bad medical readings
The possibility of prostate cancer
I worry about running out of money
I worry about being poor
I worry about depending upon others
Should I become sick
I worry about having strokes and losing control
Over oneself and one's life like my mother
I worry about dying of heart attacks like my father
I worry about retaining my ability to walk
I worry about retaining my ability to do everyday life tasks
I worry about retaining my mental ability
I worry about being a burden on others
I worry about the possibility of war
I worry about the hatred of Jews and Israelis in the world
I worry about the efforts to destroy Israel
I worry about Iran getting nuclear weapons
I worry about the missiles of Hizbollah
I worry about the United States friendship with Israel
I worry about the United States retaining its global pre-eminence
I worry about global-warming an errant meteor man-made viruses
Threats to the future of humanity on earth
I worry about the distant future and the vast distances of space and time
I worry about what will become of humanity
I worry and worry
And sometimes through my worry learn and think more about a problem
But mostly I worry and worry and gain nothing by worry
Mostly I worry in the background
Or worry underneath other feelings stronger for a time
But sometimes Worry becomes my soul
And life becomes unpleasant and difficult
I worry I worry too much and try to limit this
But with all the great goodness and the many blessings of my life
I still worry
And suppose I will go to my grave
Worrying about many things
And not simply whether or not
There is an after-life
And God is really going to enable me and those I love to live somehow
Beyond the life and worries of my time on this earth.