Have You Ever

Have You Ever

by dan ankers

Have you ever thought you were clever

but it turned out that you were just young?

That your world was really an oyster

and its pearl was under your thumb?

Only to find out that

you had fallen asleep in class

And as you awoke

to a bully’s harass

That the class was almost finished

and not hearing a thing,

your pride was diminished

For, certain you were

that you were out of sync

with what others did think

And as the years passed

you kept to your own

You harbored your thoughts

refined them, and honed

To such a degree

as to others was strange

While completely aware that

your destiny hinged

Upon knowing things and taking stock

in fortitude on conflicted thought

Not easily rectified with easy answers

No, they were got

through years of fire

And the holes they left in your soul

meant more to you

than silver or gold

And now you see

just why you became

the way you are

though none can claim

except for you

to see your truth

Well, not many

but those who do

Are wonderful

and so precise

They live their lives

tip of the knife

And none may see

just what you are

and you can accept that

In fact, you would have it

not any other way

true pearls of wisdom are fought for

through fortitude and grit

And you would not ever give them up

for all that worldly shit.