Life As We Wear It
by Michael Doyle

It is one thing to feign ignorance
And another to protest our innocence
This is especially true when it can be shown
That the facts in dispute are easily known

If we'd only question what it is that we should
The sky might crack open if it were understood
That sometimes it's not about what we can do
But, ultimately, comes down to what we should do

When we act as if there is no recognized authority
What, then, is the answer that weighs in sufficiently
Too often, the need is to keep our powers in check
As the fundamental jigsaw begins to connect

In this decrepit world, despite the stars above
It takes a lot of courage to even attempt to love
Holding on as we do to the cupboard of our capability
We become caged by our would-be abilities

Life leaves us branded with the stains of our battles
As we move forward, limping along at our full addle
Growing too old to ever dream of dying while young
Though that's not really an accolade we wish hung

Like a cross to bear heavily laden around our neck
Our million questions that arise can make life a wreck
As we pull together in our one life, we have to live
Searching deeply, we wonder how much more we have to give

Outside, the gods rage, tossing thunderbolts in the sky
With a twist of fate seen through Odin's one good eye
It seems that however hard we've tried as the innocent die
We demand truth and then find ourselves choking on the reply

Here is the fever pitch of life's anguish and powerlessness
As life crushes us into dark levels of awareness
We find however good our intentions were or might still be
In the end, all we've lived strains at our dignity

(c) December 11, 2023   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved