All We Know We Have

 

The existentialists

Have it right

The Positivists, too

The Deists

(God sets the world in motion,

leaves it go

leaves)

The one thing they know

Is that the present moment matters

As if there were nothing more

There might not be

For conscience, there isn’t

Living for tomorrow

Worse, living for heaven

Was medieval mischief

If I want my serfs to work

For me contentedly,

Then I need assure them

Of eternity

There will be no pain, no sickness

No poverty, no want for

Anything (the present moment, again)

Work now, suffer now

Under my thumb

Heaven’s coming

 

Lennon’s song has it right

Don’t dwell on heaven

Don’t fret hell

There are consequences now

Don’t put off righteousness

Live as if

There’s nothing next

What do we know,

There might not be

There isn’t

 

If we go together

That is family

If not, then I’ll have my present

Presence

You’ll have yours

And it is a gift

Too easy? Sure,

And not enough

And it doesn’t mean to re-create

The world every moment

We have standards

And philosophy

This is philosophy

But there is now to apply

There might not be another

 

Work it in

Walk through

Go on

It’s what we know we have

 

C L Couch

 

 

Photo by Sung Jin Cho on Unsplash