Understanding

The poetry cave

Image by NoName_13 from Pixabay.

We expect people
to know what

they are doing while they trickle
from place to place,

to know where they are
going, because

when they don’t,
we feel frightened,

we expect them to handle
life like a

boy with
a marble in his pocket,

we expect people to hold ideas
and carry hurts

that cannot even
be touched,

we expect them to know
what they are doing.

Then:

understanding is cement,
poured but not dried,

pain is from crystal sky,

it tenderizes
you if you let it,

takes
no knowing,

knowing is
for academics,

understanding
is better,

as a candle
above a fireplace
is a mirror,