Five answers

Day 18: write a poem that provides five answers to the same question – without ever specifically identifying the question that is being answered.  

Well, there really is only one question,  and the answer is most definitely not 42.


It is the in and out
The breathing in of the outside world
Its inward rush enlivening body and mind
In a neverending gift of power, 
For us to expel and breathe in once more. 

It is the before and after, 
The passing on of genes in an endless baton race, 
Each generation a random mix of ancestry,
Each individual entirely unique, 
Holding the seeds of the future. 

It is the here and now
The sights,  sounds,  smells,  touch,  taste
Of the external,  firing synapses,  making paths, 
Creating favourite places,  where we long to return
To bathe ourselves in beauty. 

It is the us and them
The company of loved ones,  of treasured friends, 
Each unique,  entirely separate person
Who chooses to share part of their life
Making ours a little richer. 

It is the what and the when,
The magnificent coincidence of the universe
Each random swirl of atoms,  each coupling of ancestors, 
That has led to me sitting here in this garden, 
Writing these words in this book,  to share with the world.  

© Copyright 2022. Chris Auger. All Rights Reserved.

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