Studies in Solitude

Life is in memory
Staged and edited
Reflection is a satire of reality
No matter the distortion,
Wisdom remains within the visions
The hall of mirrors
That images more for regret than reason
Until kind reminders outweigh remorse
To leave forgetfulness and interpretation alone to pervert the glass
When does belief and esteem birth ego and overbearance
Merely to miscarry an inflation of head
As bubbles burst
Crossing the fine line
Loneliness is far from loveliness
But I'll attach to them just the same
Having found meaning resolve and emotion from both
Understand that this is my happiness and exchange of feelings
Pen, paper and accomplishment
Conclusions instead of progressions
Pleading isn't pleasing
And I've felt so far from both
But I foolishly squander my wishes
'May's' and 'might's' with neglect to all that 'must'
Comfort remains in knowledge
"If it were that easy, this place would be empty,"
So I'll cling to learning
From memory and acquaintance
All these things, that hours forget, reflect in years of echoing outcomes
When responsibilities accelerate life
And the writing slows
As wisdom within the scenery rolls by too nimbly to fully examine
I will strive in solitude
Where I dig each discovery to pay off my joys deficit
Without regard to the type of emotion studied
What's not conveyed within each presentation
Is my pleasure
Of poetry

PAL 1-20-98