My son Gregg Daniel Garner is pictured above with me when I left the USMC and we moved to California in 1978. The bottom picture is in my home in Tennessee in 2009. Today Gregg is the founder and C.E.O. of Global Outreach Developments International. His mother, although she had many skills, was not given to intellectual pursuits. At an early age Gregg’s inquisitive nature met my need to share my growing intellectual pursuits. This poem is an attempt to share our interactions when he was yet a boy.

To Change the World

Can tears change the world?

Only if love moves in flesh

Can understanding bring good government?

Only if wisdom is willing to suffer

Can the brave save the dying?

Only at their own risk

Can faith move a mountain?

Life’s mountains are conquered in the ascent.

Where is the seat of evil?

In Death’s cold stare.

Where is the heart that is pure?