These Things I Know
I understand something about
How the sun erupts on the eastern vista
Exploding the horizon with impending dawn
I even at times understand the requirements
For factoring polynomial equations
Turning complex formulas into dust and addition.
I know a thing or two about the fossils
They found on the plains
That when constructed form a giant
Whose teeth are as long as scissor blades
And some have prided me on my knowledge
Of esoteric critical theory
I should have some mementos
After twenty years of schooling
To accompany all of these goddamn degrees.
I learned in a lecture
Why the sky is blue
And what produces the yellowing purple haze
Of an evening
Or where rain comes from
And how the clouds beckon to the water bodies
Who leap toward the sky in response.
In fifth grade I learned the fiction
Of the birds and the bees
I understand what it means to inhabit blackness.
Or to embrace the fine textures of madness.
I understand the disequilibrium of an afternoon buzz.
I understand the enigma of age.
I even understand the presidential language.
I have come to know and understand
That the so much I have learned and understood is so little.
I cannot fathom a teardrop or that half smile.
I do not understand the silence that lasts for moments
And lifetimes.
I do not understand this feeling that evokes a poem.
I do not understand YOU or THIS or LIFE
Or even ME
Or the simple turns of phrase
That will not let me rest or look away |