Poetry: Symmetry and Reflections

Strange, Dark, and Wonderful

Strange, dark, and wonderful this life is
with strange, dark, and wonderful people
who fight so hard for nothing
and don't know what to fight for
and when we think we know, we change our mind
we'll say what's important
long enough to see our hypocrisy
at the core we're prehistoric
and pretend we're not with pretense
living and seeing life in rooms of two way mirrors
only seeing ourselves and wondering what others see
we're asking the wrong questions
such as why we're even in the room.

We go as young ones into manhood
chasing some dream, one told of some an American fantasy
realize it's closer to a nightmare
awakening to a dark Reverie blasting in our ears
disillusioned, we go about in mindless, militaristic fashion
forgetting what once gave us joy
longing for blissful ignorance again
realizing that life isn't so simple
not black or white, or even shades of gray
but a full spectrum of color
and we don't know where much lies
and some shout war, some shout peace
but none can thrive without the other
as some beautiful catastrophe
a reminder of duality's purpose
a pill that can save or condemn.

But isn't that the point?
to accept that we don't know
to press on to understand that while understanding more
that we'll never fully understand and take comfort in that
because the process is what refines us
gives us purpose, makes us tougher, makes us care
rolling with the punches, sticking and moving
riding the wave and wiping out
getting on the horse to be bucked off
and ride again and again until our last breath.
life has no map or compass
the sooner we know the sooner we're free
no more anxiety, no more worry
just be you and do all you can.

And we'll struggle, oh, how we'll struggle!
no one ever promised it'd be easy
the horrors of life we endure and fight
because potential to be the horror is never far away
fighting ourselves to keep us humble
because we all bleed, we all cry
and we won't have life if we don't die
we'll never know triumph if we don't try.