A Great Unknown

(“The Search For Unnamable Things Merit Badge”, 2011, original oil) A Great Unknown I figure there are just a handful or two Of friends and family who really know me But last night in a dream a roommate told me He didn’t know me well And it made me wonder, If this aspect of myself can say that, Who really does? I’d think my wife of nearly 18 years does And daughter of almost 30 would As I don’t hold much back from them, But realize they have their own selves To worry about and to know And anyway, see it all, as we all do, Through their own shifting filters. Same for everyone from immediate family To close friends and acquaintances Everyone forming ideas based on perceptions Building a notion of each other Which really only ever hints at the truth. And this ambiguity is how it is for all of us Each of us a work in progress learning on the fly Who we are, who each other are As we discover its truth in flashes and layers A great unknown becoming known. A volcano spreading its magma and ash An ocean bringing itself up to the beach in pieces A night sky revealing its depths with the seasons Until enough is known for us to function Form opinions and biases and concepts But enough remains hidden To give us something to live for Each day and each night Another way to discover a little more Of what is and will remain An inconceivable mystery. (12/13/24)