The Provisions of Scholars and Fools

 

"To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else."

  ~Emily Dickinson

 

 

 

Life provides the utter need to struggle
 to sustain its own truest breath

Like a fish squirms out of water
 and a bird works hard to build its secure nest

We are granted its gracious offering
 at the moment of our own birth

And the deep urge to preserve the gift
 is expensive but still it gains more worth

A wise man learns to make it prosper
 fishing for truth that helps him fully thrive

While the fool struggles with the burden
 of unlearned lessons upon his empty line

This world is a deep ocean
 full of opportunities to catch hold of and to keep

It’s a fish that feeds the plenty,
 yet our hands hold the power to use it or set it free.