I never sought discomfort,
But somehow it always
Found me. My ability
To cope regardless became
Some sort of superpower
I wielded against myself.

There are songs that will
Always transport me back
To cold dark nights on
The road, being driven to
Somewhere I did not
Want to be in
An automobile made of
Italian plastic.

Too often I have been
Betrayed by my own mind,
Perception and memory
Conspiring to gaslight
My trusting heart.

But now I see that
Those journeys to unwanted
Destinations were secret stops
On the way to a place
I did not know existed.

It is as though
Purgatory and Heaven were
On Earth all along,
And now I have survived
The first, I finally get
To enjoy the second.

11/29/2021

Posted on 12/05/2021
Copyright © 2024 Richard Vince