O me! O life!… of the questions of these recurring;
Of the endless trains of the faithless—of cities fill’d with the foolish;
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light—of the objects mean—of the struggle ever renew’d;
Of the poor results of all—of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me;
Of the empty and useless years of the rest—with the rest me intertwined;
The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?

Answer.

That you are here—that life exists, and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.

The mute man spoke
  Without tongue or teeth
The deaf man heard
  Without ear bequeathed
A blind man looked
  But not through eyes
A lame man walked
  But not with thighs

So the hateful will scorn
  Where nothing is wrong
So the child will dance
  Forever- without song
Then we will pray
  Oh! Someone is there
Then we will say
  Why would he care?

Should the artist not paint
  Because nobody sees?
Should the beekeeper keep
  Without any bees?
Can't we just sing
  Even though out of tune?
Can't the church-bell ring
  On Wednesday afternoon?

I've heard the mute speak
  More powerfully than Men
I've been heard by the deaf
  Time and Time again
The blind see me better
  Than anyone with sight
The lame can walk
  With more grace, more might

The tides come in
  The tides will go out
The sun comes up
  The sun will go out
What truly will matter
  When all is said and done
What truly is true
  When steady time carries the gun?

So you want to be rich?
                              You'd like to rule?
                                                     Nothing is better, nothing more cool.
It's really quite simple
                              1...
                                       2...
                                               3...
Just ignore your heart
                                     AND
                                                Release your greed
March as though
                            YOU
                                      own the place
Talk as though
                            YOU
                                       know it all
When someone sobs
                                  OR
                                         someone shirks
Tear them.
                .
                .  down

Or go berserk!

You know I'm right
You know it's true
                                
Who needs
                  family...
                                 friends...
                                                 love...
Being a ****
                    WILL
                                put you above
Girl after girl
                       WILL
                                  chase after you
Simply pretend
                          YOU
                                    know what to do
Want something done?
get THEM to do
                                      The world was made
                                       to be rearranged
Money. Wealth.
                           FAME.
                                         and Power.
Will satisfy
                         YOUR
                                       every hour
Oh...
      You'd rather be warm?
                                  You'd rather care?
Good luck my friend.
                              The world is unfair.

if ever you wonder
if ever your heart should grow curious
for lust and love and spirit
electricity that splits the spine
a jolt of lightening
rushing through wide open veins
baby hairs standing on end
on the nape of your neck
a wave of cold sweat
dripping through your hair
moistens your back
if ever a moment passes
if ever you refrain from yelling loud
sing a melody
scream “i love you”
skip through a crowd of people
and smile
laugh
dance
and forget your worry
the temporary madness of yesterday
because you are static, ecstatic
you are wonderful

They ask me what I see,
What I see when I'm dreaming,
What I see when I'm listening,
What I see when I'm writing,
But I don't see; I understand,

I understand how minds work,
I understand how hearts work,
I understand how my world works,
But I don't understand them.

Why can't people accept it?
Why do they need to know why?
Why do they want to know?
But they don't want to know why; they want to know what.

If I see their futures,
If I see the dead,
If I see words before me,
But I don't see; I understand.

So when they ask, what do I see in you?
I don't reply. I smile,
Because when I dream,
And I listen,
And I write,
You know what I see?
What I've always seen:
You.

They asked me a question
One that sounded so easy
They asked what my Utopia is
But answering this made me queasy

With every pro came a con
It was not simple at all
Of course I could say a world without
War, starvation, poverty, and hate
But what is a life with out a bridge to cross
Without a sad memory or loss
With out a struggle with a victory
Or a smile and a misery?
You see this is why I answered to them
My Utopia is where I am

Father and Mother, and Me,
  Sister and Auntie say
All the people like us are We,
  And every one else is They.
And They live over the sea,
  While We live over the way,
But-would you believe it?—They look upon We
  As only a sort of They!

We eat pork and beef
  With cow-horn-handled knives.
They who gobble Their rice off a leaf,
  Are horrified out of Their lives;
While they who live up a tree,
  And feast on grubs and clay,
(Isn’t it scandalous? ) look upon We
  As a simply disgusting They!

We shoot birds with a gun.
  They stick lions with spears.
Their full-dress is un-.
  We dress up to Our ears.
They like Their friends for tea.
  We like Our friends to stay;
And, after all that, They look upon We
  As an utterly ignorant They!

We eat kitcheny food.
  We have doors that latch.
They drink milk or blood,
  Under an open thatch.
We have Doctors to fee.
  They have Wizards to pay.
And (impudent heathen!) They look upon We
  As a quite impossible They!

All good people agree,
  And all good people say,
All nice people, like Us, are We
  And every one else is They:
But if you cross over the sea,
  Instead of over the way,
You may end by (think of it!) looking on We
  As only a sort of They!