Rory Galbraith | + Follow Poet |
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Doubt

Does doubt enter our minds 
only when we are 
unsure about something
when we think about something
see something
hear something 
or are told something 
that gives us pause
do we learn to doubt 
like we learn our A B C’S  
or how to make a cup of tea 
or
is it inherent within us 
always at the ready 
is it vital to our existence
could we function appropriately 
if we were not able to doubt
I am confounded and fascinated 
by its make-up and its provenance
and reflect deeply upon it
I prod it 
and I examine it 
but am no closer to understanding it
I am somewhat bemused to find myself harbouring the doubt  
that I will ever reach an acceptable understanding of it 
and must confess 
that when I reached this alarming impasse
I was not given the impression 
that doubt arrived from somewhere outside of me
or of it being already inside me
and just made itself felt  
I do not know where my doubt was 
before it became undeniably integral to these musings
I fear, alas
that you may doubt the honesty of my disclosure
considering it to be a ruse
a purpose-driven sleight-of-hand 
put forward to elicit in your mind 
an element of doubt 
to colour your considerations 
when deciding upon the honesty 
of my befuddlement with doubt   
I leave you with this
which do you doubt 
the honesty of my disclosure  
or your ability to recognise honesty
when presented to you 
when you have decided which it is 
ask yourself this
where was your doubt 
before you became aware of its presence 
and were thus compelled to acknowledge it 
and engage with it
I will humbly admit to harbouring 
an element of doubt 
of you ever finding a satisfactory answer 
and will probably view this discourse    
as a complete waste of your time 
and put it aside  
thus revealing undeniable doubt 
in your ability to understand doubt.

Copyright © Rory Galbraith | Year Posted 2024

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