July 5, 2015

Recovered High School Poetry...

"What Lies Ahead"

What lies ahead no human mind can know—
Tomorrow may bring happiness or woe.
We cannot carry charts
Save the faith that's in our hearts
As down the Unknown Way we go.

—M. L. Morgan


"Continuity"

Yesterday the sun went down;
This morning it came up—

As it has,
As it will.

A nagging question plagues philosophers:
Why does the sun rise in the East at dawn
Instead of rising in the West at eve?
They meant to solve this problem yesterday;
They met with failure once again today—

As they have,
As they will.

While one wise solver contemplates,
Twelve folk toil to fill their plates.
Some produce, some sell their wares;
All seek exit from their cares—
One of which is not the sun
(save that their day's work is done).
West or East or Dawn or Eve
To philosophers they leave—

As they have,
As they will.

—M. L. Morgan


"Against the Tide"

A past forever lost
Is of great cost
To the one who struggles against the tide.

Those who witness
Such business
Behold the corruption of the dream.

The dream is of endless opportunity
But it does not hold the power of impunity
For its corruption is at hand.

The vulgar pursuit of wealth
Is poor for the health
In light of its destruction of equilibrium.

With this, blindness to the truth is complementary
While the corruption becomes supplementary
To the pure purpose of life.

It is of ultimate disgrace
What has taken place
With the wealth of the defiled and the subsistence of the pure of heart.

The presence of innocence
Is also the presence of ignorance
For the lack of wisdom is the susceptibility to corruption.

Disillusionment grows with the degradation of morality,
Violence grows with disillusionment,
Tragedy grows with violence.

You have lied to yourself.

—M. L. Morgan