Human as the Fool

It is dusk and most of the world has gone in
as the storm approaches from the east.

If you were wiser, you would leave now,
before the weather finds you, before the rain falls

and the wind whips raindrops into your eyes.
But any wisdom you have is haphazard,

and at times you abandon it for things
you treasure more than safety. Love, for instance,

or beauty, or simply to experience a thing
others might avoid. So, you ask,

What good is wisdom purposefully set aside?
I do not have that answer. It is a gift, wisdom.

It is more of a gift to choose your life,
and at times, trust the fates more than yourself,
to no longer fight the fight, and avoid the pain
and uncertainty, and be as human as the fool.

About this poem

I am often accused of being wise. I am not sure that is true, but if it is, it comes with a burden – to always do the right thing, when at times, I’d just rather let the wind take me and not have to think or decide. There is a certain peace in not thinking.

The picture was taken in Provincetown, Mass., just as a storm approached.

Tom

PS – Some of the best things in my life came when I abandoned wisdom. Particularly in love. I have no explanation for that.