Never Get There

Where do you go —
Cleaning the house
Watching TV —
More of the same

Stacking shelves
Shitting and smoking
Eating and drinking —
Still the same

That’s how life has been
Has it not
Has it ever been
Any different

Always this way
The same thing, over and over
Until gradually
Or suddenly
New stock on the shelves
Some routines shift
And some stay the same

The content changes
But the broad strokes
Are the same

Eat and sleep
Shit and piss
Drink and smoke
Sit alone and write
Read and study
Chase a few pennies
Hope and wait —
And never get anywhere

Never get there
No destination
Never a finish line
Where all things have been sorted
All problems dealt with
Where all cleaning’s done

All tea’s drunk
Cigarettes smoked
All food’s been eaten
And all shit’s been shat

No place of attainment
No completion
Where all problems are solved
All the bills paid
All pains eased

Pain and relief
Cycle

Something relieves
The pain
And another late shift
Brings it back —
And the cycle continues