Answers to questions I never knew I’d asked
Because I want to hold fugitive truth between language and reality (though you know it’s all too slippery) Because I want to undo and make good out of bad (though you know it’s a fantasy) Because I want to sublimate anguish into art (though you know it’s another’s travesty) Because I want to death to be elsewhere (though you know it happens locally) Because I want this Ark of words to survive the voyage (though you know the ocean is the deepest cemetery) Because I want to interrogate myself about myself (though you are my judge and jury) Because I want to close the gap between me and you . . . And for a while, we are on the same page, and somewhere in this liminal space something happens, ephemeral, as if I’ve sung a song into a Steinway B, a few strings resonate a new sound, that’s partly you, and partly me.
Uplifting but not facile. Truth , goodness, art are all surveyed. The humour draws the reader along to the reassurance that you're not alone in the cosmos if you're simply willing to reach out to others and that encounter may be unexpectedly beautiful. Skillful writing, David. Well done.
I really like this witty and insightful piece. Full of forlorn hopes. But at the end acknowledging that joy is possible when the gap between two minds is closed and briefly the minds are as one. And there hopefully lies the opportunity of friendship or reconciliation. David's poem is an inspirational work. Encouraging the reader to persevere in talking to others who have different or opposing views. The reward might be ephemeral but worthwhile.