poem

Sages

The philosophical sages say a little bit of suffering

Gives those respites of joy a deeper meaning.

But I am unhappy all of the time.

I would like to be unhappy only some of the time

Or at least not all the damn time.

And the deeper I fall into sorrow

The less I even realize

what the word "unhappy" means.

Yin and yang, you see,

Black is only “black” in the context of white,

That regal pine is only “tall” amidst a grove of smaller trees.

Just like if you were happy and content all of the time

You wouldn’t know it, you might even get bored.

Which is why I always thought the theological sages ridiculous;

What with their paradises of eternal blissful consciousnesses.

Is that the best they got?

Don’t swear, fast for a week, pray with all your heart

And the Kingdom of Ennui awaits you.

I’ll take a little bit of sadness, or a lot,

Mixed with an occasional hearty laugh 

Here on earth and call that a heaven.

It may not be very smart.

But it’s the best one I got.  

12/20/19