Reasons Are Never Enough

Is it a chainsaw in the woods
Or a mosquito in your ear?

Is it a dog in the distance
Or a cool wind gathering in the clearing?

Is it the end upon us now
Or is this only the beginning?

Are the bridges being burnt
Or is it the forest being cut?

The smells are exactly the same
But the meanings clearly differ.

Tree by tree the deaths can be deceiving.

A moonward bark
And a blood-thirsty whine
The earth and the pine
Mingle with the honeysuckle vine.

The twilight of an era
Overlapping years and ideals
A chance, a change?

Is it all a frenzied yelping dance
Or a light hearted leaping —
While the hastily placed hurdles
Don't stand a chance.

Are we at the start of the race for the finish
Or the end of the world war quarrel?

Is your identity brought to you by wind born scents
Or bought with your many red copper cents?

Can insects slip though window screens at night
Or do barriers protect?

The security of reason and logic
Works best before dusk falls
For soon ideas that once were so bright
Become blacker than starless night.

Reason leaves you alone then.
The dog does howl and the insects swarm
But neither keep you warm
When the wind whistles outside your door
Trying to help you remember your name.

© 2001 Koko Jaeger