Conscience

Sometimes

it doesn’t hurt too much

and one can sleep

responsibly



Other times

we know

that our roots are collapsing

into abstract pieces



where if we stare

long enough

certain parts become

visible to us



Sometimes

it remembers

when our entrails

were unconscious of aging



Other times

our shadow

reminds us of form

it once knew



Sometimes it overtakes us

like radiation

Other times we bask

in the glow of its presence



Sometimes

we know it’s an albatross

Other times

the burning rope that was flung



from our desolate spires

genuinely lands

deep inside its

unflinching

arms



copyright (c) 2011 by Vincent John Ancona

I Have Learned

I Have Learned



I have learned
In this life
That greatness
Is a careless whisper away
And is found where you least
Expect it.

I have learned...

I have witnessed that true love
Should be experienced, not sought after.
Nor tempted through the wreckage of impatience
A black worm through the apple

I have seen...

I have felt that life is short
And must be cherished
That the clock stops for no one
Not even the planets
And that time presses forward.

I have understood...

I have noticed that an indigo dusk
Is not permanent
That all creation's wonders pass by
In the blink of an eye
That all men's struggles
Are not in vain.

I have remembered...

I have seen how small I am
And how great the Universe is
How the cosmos so briefly grace us
With its solar impotence
And how one person can change so much

I have struggled...

I believe that kindness is important
And is so frail and fleeting
I give freely of myself
To nurture the human soul
To count my blessings or sheep

I have believed...

I have strived in this life
To be humble and accept all praises
Great or small, to be glad for my fellow man
To not be dismayed by failure
But to rise up out of the ash

I have built...

I have seen it with my own two eyes
Life, Death and Re-Birth
I have seen terror, toil and tumult
I've seen the center crash
And the bodies remain whole

I have pressed on...

I have looked in the mirror
And seen disintegration
Paired with peace and understanding
I have been confused and confident
Ignorant and wise

I have risen...

I have imagined a better world
Where everyone is equal
And no one is treated cruelly
I have seen it perfectly in my minds eye
And know it can exist.

I have dreamed...

I have known terror and elation
Unrest and Peace
I have seen it all thrown away
And the pieces swept up,
Reassembled like some awful puzzle
I have seen where they go

I have learned...

Copyright (c) 2008 by Vincent J0hn Ancona