understanding someone is not possible

you don’t understand yourself

two confused people will surely find themselves

lost in a pit of misunderstanding

worse than each would inhabit alone

the best you can hope for is knowing

with all of the attendant warts, bumps, leaking wounds

compassion and love

trying to understand these things

is to wander in the desert for years

where mirages appear

leading you on

winds blow shifting the landscape

constantly changing

direction wanders then disappears

knowing happens when you can see

the footsteps behind you

when you can listen behind the words

pick through the trash

an archaeologist looking for patterns

persisting through time

seeing through a moral lens

you can make judgements

right

wrong

good

bad

this won’t get you to understanding

but it will get you closer to knowing

Copyright Michael Douglas Scott
2/6/20