slap in the face

“As for me, all I know is that I know nothing.” -Socrates

like a slap in the face or

cold water from the tap

splashed up from your hands

first thing in the morning

dripping cool down your forehead

with drops traveling down the slope

of your nose---

the notion that you will never know

everything that it is that you want to know &

that you really don’t know that much to

begin with, it

can sting at first, but then it can

illuminate

&

with it comes a renewed love of life & a

renewed interest in your fellow humans---

because everyone has something

interesting about them

which can be revealed through

conversation &

getting to know each other

without any prior motivation &

without any ulterior motive---

instead,

human communication can blossom,

much like a great work of art

which when produced by an artist,

sparks the imagination in that very moment of

creation &

at the same time,

amazes & even inspires others when its

conclusion is

reached.

 

our potential in the short time that we are

alive,

may very well be so vast that we ourselves

cannot comprehend it---

& for that reason,

the wealth of possibilities

which lie right at our fingertips

seems to articulate itself as the only real

pool of images, sounds & actions

that should appropriately stand before us

when we open our eyes

after that slap in the

face. 

Reviews

[Libby McKeown]

I admire your articulation of an unknowable moment. Every true poet's aspiration. I giggle with envy.