Notes About The Poem
5/2/2026 for Obsession Poetry Contest sponsored by Seth Pina
I Must Know
I always wanted most of all to know,
but why this fierce passion I cannot say.
Other children might want to jump or throw,
and while they wished to laugh and run and play,
I read the books written through the ages -
to gain knowledge to keep danger away.
Yes, knowledge is power, said the sages,
but o'er safety and power, there is love,
and abandoning life in the pages,
and driven by a force, seemed from above,
I was drawn to a sweet flower in bloom,
but not showing what I was thinking of,
I tried in vain to possess and consume
by knowing all about her that I could
and so I lost the scent of her perfume.
An irony I wish I understood -
fifty years on, I don't know who I am.
My memory's not working like it should.
In fact, I do not even know my name.
I struggle in confusion and in shame.
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