The Answer
walking backwards,
a stranger to myself
looking for a face to put on,
a life to live
i swim to an island
to collect my thoughts
sipping coconut milk
atop a coral reef,
waves break the silence
i talk with the hermit
who lives in the mountain
he tells me, “you have not failed
if you have not stopped trying”
i only wonder why he lives alone
in desperation
i try to create the answers i seek
life laughs at my foolishness
and i laugh back,
even if it does have a hollow ring
a wandering minstrel tells me
the answers he’s found
it only leaves me with more questions
following a two lane road
to an unknown destination
more concerned about where i’m going
than where i am
“it’s not nice to stare”
says the funny looking man
and i wonder if he’s at peace with himself
does he wonder the same about me
i could have told him i’m not
but his steel gray eyes
did not seem to hold any compassion
conflicting emotions still battle inside
as i remain silent on the surface
it’s always quiet before the storm they say
a mosquito lands on my arm
and as i watch him swell
at the taste of my blood
i wonder how it is to live
on the life of others
no matter, the mosquito is now dead
his life and mine
a smear on the back of my newspaper
does the answer i seek exist
or is it the searching for the answer
that in essence
is the answer itself