Indifference

Consistency of spirit
leads to consistency of outcome.

Without it,
minds are cast adrift
upon the ocean of time,
without a rudder,
without a map.

Only the whims
of a world too preoccupied
with its own indifference
may guide these souls
to lands not seen.

Yet once cast
into the vast unknowableness of existence,
these souls,
eternally lacking in guidance,
must still perch themselves
upon the breast of life.

For there is nothing else,
only to suckle at the teat
of that which makes them sick.

The indifference of creation
provides not sustenance,
only the promise of continuation.

Some will try screaming,
their voices hoarse
from senseless bellows
into the darkness.

Some will try pretending,
adopting the garments
of those tethered to the earth.

They will find no joy
in their performance.

For falsehoods
only cripple the soul further.

Some will settle
into the rhythmic passage of the age.
They will experience life
in its purest form,
all the subtleties
of small moments.

The cycling from bliss to sorrow
will cradle them
throughout the long night.

And finally,
some will fight.

They contest
the indifference of creation
with their hands
and with their hearts,

carving meaning
into rock and stone,
growing purpose
from the dirt
upon which
one day
they too shall return.

For them,
if only I could promise happiness
or at least
some semblance of meaning,
a flame to flock to.

But totality does not care
whether you wish intention
upon its façade.

Its cold detachment
is unconcerned
with whether or not
they assign significance
to their struggle.

But alas
it is they
who mold the clay
we are all given.

It is upon their
small, insignificant strides
that others will anchor themselves.

For without them
there are no waves,
no wind.

Authors Note:

I don’t usually revel in existentialism, I find the exercise tiresome and without merit. The emptiness of the universe is a constant no more or less important than the air we breath. Yet once our brains identify that emptiness, it can become monolithic in its influence over us. I wrote “Indifference” while thinking about how people cope with that emptiness.