I Cannot Tell a Why

What is the sum of one plus one,

Where did Apollo land,

When did the Titanic sink?

These answers, close at hand.

 

But ask why there’s such sadness,

Why good people have to die,

Why some grief will never fade ~

I just can’t tell you why.

 

I’ll tell you if your stocks are up

And how to tie your shoes;

Which baseball player is the best ~

I’m good with hows and whos.

 

But why a bully just won’t stop

Until his victims weep ~

I can’t begin to answer that;

The whys go much too deep

 

Why does violence seem the norm

with peace in short supply;

I guess I’m not too bright, because

I cannot tell a why.

 

Reviews

[Pryde Foltz]

Beautiful Rita. Why the ironies, indeed.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, Pryde.

[Relic]

Excellent poem Rita. The answers to these questions remain a mystery.

[Rita L. Sev]

And always will, I fear... Thank you, Relic.

[kublakhan27]

I'm with you on this one my friend. I guess some of these questions will never be answered, not on this planet anyway. I wish I knew why bullying continues to exist in spite of the regular reports of kids who committed suicide (or here in Canada, one girl was drowned by a group of bullies...they all got off for the record). This one definitely touched a nerve. Great piece, great form, great message.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, K. I will never understand it, and I see it every day...

[Joyce S. Greene]

Bullying is such an awful thing, Rita. Who knows why it goes on, but it seems to be part of human nature (or at least some humans' natures) to want to feel superior to someone else. This is an excellent poem, thoughtful and moving. Great job!

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, Joyce.

[Lobster Goldberg]

Brought tears to my eyes. Wow..
I'm amazed you came up with this and put it to words.
Hit me square :) couldn't have put it better :)

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you so much, LG. I appreciate your kind words.

[SyberRose]

Wonderful poem and deeply profound Rita...loved the theme...:)

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you so much, Rose...

[Frieda P]

Perhaps because there are no good answers to the 'why' questions, especially the ones you target above, even Einstein and Buddha don't have answers for those, so...you're still pretty brilliant Rita, like how you always wrap your pen around a message in your poetry too.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you for that, Frieda. The price of being a thinking person, I suppose... searching for answers to unanswerable questions...

[Baby Ricochet]

Great poem with a poignant message

[Rita L. Sev]

Thanks, Mark.