The Order of the Universe

People can be so awful.

Nicolae Ceaușescu was awful.

I was horrified when I saw pictures of little AIDs babies crying in their beds,

rocking back and forth in their cribs,

infected and abandoned because of Ceaușescu and his repressive policies.

Then I felt sorry for Ceaușescu and Elena his wife when they were shot,

their bodies lined up for evidence on Christmas Day 1989.

Then later I hated all the ugly regime architecture that he wasted

million, trillions of leu building while his people starved.

But I was sure to visit the Palace when I was in Bucharest.

At the time I was checking out Casa Laura built for AIDs orphans,

but now empty. All the children had managed to grow into adulthood

and the ones still needing supervision because of disabilities were

finally placed with loving families.

I felt sad that the house was no longer needed, but

heartened that it had fulfilled its mission.

I felt bad about the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Hapsburgs,

and the assassination of the Archduke and his hat-wearing wife Sophie.

Yet the monarchy had to go so that a re-drawn modern Europe could emerge.

I celebrated when the Wall came down and Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia declared independence, except a few years later when conflict in the region resulted in

genocide, mass graves, and ethnic cleansing.

This year marks one hundred years since the Archduke’s touring car

made that fateful wrong turn.

All this to say, one thing has to happen so the next thing can take place—

and after that is over, comes something else.

People can be so awful, but just wait

things will change.