Far from Subtle

You can’t find it in bars
So much distraction and hullabaloo
Not in big gatherings, no
Too much fuss and hoopla
Not a feeling to spoil it
Nor a thought making it come about

Its silent and queer ways
You won’t see it coming
Inexplicable, cryptic.
You can picture it smiling—
Of amusement? Pleasure? Mockery?
You’d wonder.

The greatest lessons aren’t in books
Who doesn’t know
You learn humility
From the innocent and new
It’s time to pronounce righteousness
As a mortal sin

You just think I’m unpredictable
What do we have now?
A prelude to an eternal ending
Hate happy endings anyway
Now you remember that fable
The one about the fox

But don’t give me the worst
Open-ended ones
That’s my game, so you know it too?
Hey, they’re ideal for stories
Romantic, they say
Endless possibilities

Don’t let life pass you by
They used to warn
Who admits they’re lonely?
And one more,
Who thinks of values these days?
I should be a teacher.