Friday, November 09, 2007

Knowing



We were young once, and knew
everything there was to know;
if life was shifty, we were true,
if we were callow, we could grow.

And grow we did, until we knew
a ghost of what we used to know;
but life was shifty, that was true,
we’d seen it in the video.

And more and more of what we knew
conflicts with what we think we know,
and now nothing rings as true
as what we knew a life ago.

Kid, watch it. Don’t be too
quick to doubt the things you know;
most of it is wrong, it’s true,
and the rest simply isn’t so,

but if you haven’t got a clue
that’s at least a place to start;
the needled rose will point you true,
the compass gimbaled in your heart.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Absolutely, yes.

Unknown said...

It takes bravery to ignore the map set out before you and just follow the compass.

Thank you, John, you make me think, even on a lazy Sunday morning.

Abhinav said...

Lessons hard to forget and harder to remember. Reminds me of poets of yore. Thanks a lot.