I smile,

though I am no villain,

flawed and complicated, problematic and absurd yes,

but no villain am I.

 

I smile

because the alternative is to scream,

to take the point of existence out of the illogical equation

and drown it, submerge it, threaten

to  immerse it under so much sea water

that the pain will stop

after a while

and the easy breathe of innocence, so sweet,

will fill my lungs with joy.

 

I smile

because the alternative is

to drown, to never come up

for air again and slowly sink

where the fog hits the shoreline and that the Bouy

that sits beside the girl will never find its target

in the damp mist and the sound

of an incessant ships horn travels

across the ocean, warning me that salvation

is not option.

 

I smile,

for what else is there to do?

 

Ian D. Hall 2015