Conclusion

A Poem by Jade Roush

An entry for the contest "Mayday! Mayday!"

Here's the original verse:
We all flirt with the tiniest notion
Of self conclusion in one simplified motion
You see the trick is
That you're never supposed to act on it
No matter how unbearable the misery gets

Forward and back,
Back and forth,
Forthwith and forward again ...
After a while,
It all starts to look the same.
After a while,
I can't even remember my name
In the numbness of this drawn out game.

And when the scroll starts
To look like God left me on loop,
I have to remember
That even sparrows don't sing sad songs
Forever.

Forward and back,
Back and forth,
Forthwith and forward again ...
No, just forward.
When it all looks the same,
And you're numb from the pain,
Look to the lilies
Who don't need a name
To reach for the sun
The next day.