A Mysterious Voice

From here and there, I hear him speak His voice, falling in mild whispers But he always plays hide n’ seek Never once I could see his countenance At times he speaks loud n’ clear Sometimes so harsh and stern How he denies my wild longings With a stubborn ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ What magic and mystery in him stored I often wonder and am at a loss to gauge Amid the shards of my broken sleep I often struggle to decipher his mysterious codes I sought after him over and again Down the nights and through the days But he eludes me like a mysterious sprite Prancing around and hiding about When I give up my search after him He shouts and whistles amid the confused din And I see faint truths suddenly uncoiling Forming in me a clearer perspective of life At the end of my incessant search I chanced to meet him within my own self Peering into my depths, I saw him, his face veiled And a balance held obliquely in his hands When the veil was lifted from his countenance I saw him clear, clear as in a mirror Someone with such commanding air And so stern with an impassive demeanor In the still pool of humid silence I heard him introduce himself His sound ringing distinct and clear Leaving echoes in the caverns of stillness “I am CON- SCI-ENCE, your alter ego Listen to me, you shall not stray’’! When he thus revealed himself before me, I stood Wonderstruck staring into the face that eluded me for long Honorable Mention 'Wonderstruck' Poetry Contest Sponsored by Robert James Liguori