DRUNK ON A DONKEY

Living on the edge of belief,

Skating along the precipice.

On one side, the fullness

Of thinking I know everything,

On the other, the emptiness

Of thinking I know nothing

The line, a thin tightrope,

And I, ungainly, self-drunk.

Balance is such a difficult thing!

Pay attention; be clear-headed

Attend to the mysteries

But not as if you’ve found them

Decoded them

Parsed them out,

This isn’t metaphysical grammar.

The truth is found somewhere

Between knowing too much

And not knowing anything at all.

And so I must walk the line,

Being content in what I know,

Being content in what I’ll never know,

Being aware the balance may tip

To one side or the other,

But like a drunkard on a donkey,

Not making any progress

Unless I can stay on his back,

And, if I do fall off

To one side or the other,

Scrambling to regain my seat,

Tottering along unsteadily,

But moving forward,

Because it’s the only way

I can ever hope to reach

My destination, whatever it is,

Wherever it may be….

-Chip Bergeron

May 15, 2012