I wander the city, looking, watching.
So many people, so many lives.
Do they all feel like I do?
Do they know my pain?
I look inside and feel it,
the pain of my life,
it burns within me,
and I protect the flame.
Why do I torture myself?
I look again inside myself,
the same familiar place,
and I see my goals, my dreams, my ambitions,
and there I see the pain,
eating it all away.
What is pain,
and why does it haunt me so?
Why am I so scared of it?
Why can’t I just let it live;
Why can’t I be a friend to pain?
What is pain,
Does it deserve to exist?
Sometimes I just want to get rid of pain,
But I am too attached to it;
It is my enemy, but I love it.
Can I have a peace with pain?
Can I let it live without allowing it to dominate?
What do I really want?
I think I want peace;
no more fighting, no more conflict,
just a calm acceptance of how things are right now.
Pain exists;
Suffering exists.
I acknowledge that fact,
and am unsure what to do about it.
What do you think?
- David Ambur Musick
(This poem, as well as all my writings may be copied freely;
I want everyone who needs my words to have them;
so please give copies to friends and family who you think would
appreciate it. Thank you -- David Ambur Musick)