Weight of Truth

The weight of truth weighs heavy on me,

Like the burden of proof in a trial of life,

Like the weight of the ocean in a glass carried by my hand.

Subject to all variations of lies and stories,

I struggle mightily with the search for undeniable facts;

Though I dream in possibilities,

I must find the details that last.

Without truth there is no substance,

without reality there are only wisps of things.

There are no prizes in finishing life with the best ideas,

only tragedy for missing out on the meat of life.

Consequences for burning the midnight oil are far fewer,

Than spending the days with the sandman's dust clenched in your dreams..

And far from reality happiness stands, far from the truth are lies we can all stand.

And as joy and well-being and peace of mind lies, I seek the burden of truth,

The weight of what is and what is to come.

I stand freely on solid ground groping to find a measure of what is,

Sheding the weight of dreams which weigh nothing, for the weight of satisfaction,

Whch weighs right about the weight of life, give or take an ounce.

By Don Bernal

 

 

Butterflies Don't Fly

The Faces say I'm wrong, about the hundreth time they've said so
I can tell in their eyes they're disappointed, but bleeding tears don't matter to me.
The buzzing in my head doesn't matter, nor the scent of nostaligia.
All the Faces say to me is that I've failed, I'm not who I could be
And I say back to them: but I am, I am, that is who I could be.
And I say back to them, your Faces say something more than regret.
Possibly, possibly, hints at the inability to comprehend the wicked waves of thought and discourse I participate in.
And maybe butterflies don't fly but are just clapping for the performances we put in trying to catch them.
Their Faces don't understand who I am, but I'm wrong for not being right.
It stirs within them as a strand of thought that can't be swallowed.
For a hundred times they've told me I was wrong
But I was never wrong. Only living up to my potential
They say my potential is something else
I say it's the capability of what I can do. And I've done what I can do.
They say I'm wrong for not reaching greater heights
And I say that's because I'm reaching for some place you don't look up to.
And maybe rainbows don't bend but for the grace of gravity.
The Faces say I'll never reach being right
My face tells me I'm getting closer all the time
Reaching out to places unknown,
Where potential is just another long word like fascination.
 
By Don Bernal

Back to Story Page