Vacuous - Poem (ouch)

Vacuous

You don’t understand me, you say?

You want to?

You want to see what it’s like to be me?
Here’s a way-

Examine how I feel

At the start of every day

To get this understanding…

Walk to the top of the tallest building around

Climb over the rail

Then hang on with sweaty palms

And look down

Paddle a surfboard alone

Into the meanest ocean you can find

And try to catch a wave

In the middle of having an asthma attack

Carry your broken golden retriever into the vet

Both of you whimpering

Because you both know what’s coming

And leave

Alone

Lose a letter written

By your great grandfather’s

Great grandmother

Get caught shoplifting

Tumble your mountain bike

Noting the feeling you have in the air

A split second

Before you land

Fart in an elevator

That contains

Your boss

Throw in the experience of being called to the front of the class

To answer Steven Hawking’s final question

And you haven’t studied

Take the hearts of a dozen people who once said I love you

And disappoint some

And crush the fucking life out of others

Without knowing why you do it

And you’ll be half way to the feeling I get

When I open my eyes in the dark

At 3am

And cry.

--Eric Marley

February 2012