I Have Seen the Heart of Man
By Stephen Smoke
(From the novel, Cathedral of the Senses)
I have seen the Heart of Man
Red river bleeding dark and deep
Flowing to the sea
Beyond the sea
Beyond what we see
I have seen the Soul of Man
Dim to dark
Flickering in shadows
Struggling to see
Something
Anything
That lasts
The World of Man
Is here and gone
Seasons come
Seasons go
What is born
Shall surely die
All we hold dear
Slips away
Those with whom
We spend our nights
Will be gone
When morning breaks
It is fear that creates the masks we wear
It is fear that we are not the men in our songs
Not the husbands we wish to be
Not the fathers
Not the sons
Not the friends
We wish to be
It is fear that it will all fall away
And all
And nothing
Will be revealed
I have seen darkness shine
Against the Light
Darkness born of fear
Of separation
And so we hide
Put on the show
That becomes a life
Staged by characters
That we are not
Yet wish to be
Or fear to be
Still longing seeps
From deep within
A fatal wound
Bleeding out
To pools of sorrow
Where future drowns
In deep regret
Longing…
To be comfortable where I am
Behind eyes that look upon the world
And wish not
To change
Resist
Or own it
This is peace
To know the world will pass away
To know it all comes and goes
To know that neither flesh nor trouble lasts
To know this and hold it in your heart
Makes precious all you see
Those who know this simple truth:
Do not try to catch the wind
But cherish what can’t be lost
See no beginning
Nor an end
I have seen the Heart of Man
© 2011 Stephen Smoke. All rights reserved.