The Fruits of Life

This illustration is a page from the antique school lesson book Our Little Book for Little Folks (1896). Thank you to the Old Design Shop for the image.

Happiness enlightenment nirvana
I’ve seen their stories:

The man who claimed nirvana
killed himself.
The minds that squared off an enlightenment
unleashed atomic force, science and revolution.
Happiness glossed itself up
as lazy-kissed eternities on a sunny beach.

I’ve watched people attain their
Happiness Enlightenment Nirvana.
It’s all bananas.

—
Recently, once again, I was party to one of those “What do you seek/ believe?” conversations. (Previously I was asked as much under scaffolding near Liverpool Street Station.) I don’t know what this says about me, or the sorts of people to whom I seem to gravitate.

I still believe there’s a great deal of wisdom to be found in trees. Trees are incredible.

—
Twitter: @BeadedQuill
Facebook: BeadedQuill
Books:
In the Ocean: a year of poetry
Emily’s Poems for Modern Boys
Shining in Brightness: Selected Poems, 1999 – 2012