The World I Should Enjoy
His wisdom did his happiness destroy,
Aiming to know that world he should enjoy;
And wit was his vain, frivolous pretense
Of pleasing others, at his own expense
- John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester
I’ve often wondered would I have been happier
had I been born more simple minded
If my brain was unable to conceptualize
considerations that go deeper than
what is necessary knowledge to survive
If I was blind to all the bullsh*t
If being tethered to this tiny dead end town
bereft of options or opportunity
were enough to placate me
If I wasn’t aware of a
whole wondrous world out there
though I’ve experienced so little of it
never having seen a sea or left the country
despite the Rand McNally map
hanging on my bedroom wall as a kid
decorated with different colored tacks
denoting all the far away places
upon whose soil I was sure I’d someday set my feet
If I wasn’t confident I could have achieved so much more
if fate had seen fit to give me a chance
the smallest crack in the door
If I didn’t suffer from this fire inside burning me alive
driving me to strive for what I will never have
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