Wisdom

Wisdom is knowing when to speak
and when to keep to oneself,
when to push ahead
and when to pause
or change direction,
when to join others
and when to be alone—

Wisdom is not some quote from
a book—be it the Quran, the Bible
or the Torah—not the Eightfold
Path of Buddha, nor the Twelve
Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous—

Wisdom is something you learn
the hard way through the
adversities of life,
through all its drunken orgies,
excesses and deprivations—
it’s just there—take it or leave it—
easily dispensed by poets
and philosophers, who claim
to know it but never really
living it—it comes as fairy tales
whispered by old men
in children’s ears,
or a boring sermon
delivered by a priest
or a school teacher.

What is wisdom but a lie
on the lips of the supreme leader,
wishing that the blind men
see the world through his eyes,
but there are many eyes
and many vistas, and wisdom
is simply knowing when to keep
your mouth shut.


June 10, 2024
--Alexander Shaumyan