I'm Not Here

I'm not here
I'm not in the office
Not in the prison cell
Not in the statistics
Not in the study

I sail the tumultuous waters
The tempests of insecurity
Adrift yet self-contained
Adroit yet tentative
Alert yet tranquil

I embark on great adventures
I dance on the battlefield
To the relentless tempo of time
To conflicting dreams and aspirations
To Death's stark breath upon my neck

I reach the sweet nirvana
A bottomless cup
A poignant reminder
A steady pillar
A spirited wind

I’m not here
Not in the programming
Not in the discourse
Of what’s to be expected
Not in the pretentious
The broken
The contained

But rather I go within
To a secret haunt
To a heartfelt purpose
Where smiles and tears
Need not be explained
Where minds cannot be led
And hearts cannot be deceived

...