Who Cares

You are not a human being
In a universe, he says
Then another one says the same
And another

All the big shots say
You are not a human being
There is no universe

Yet, all of them
Still seem to —
Appear to —

Wake up in the morning
Go to sleep at night
Eat, drink, shit
Speak, write, read
Form and maintain
Relationships

Earn a living
Live in houses
Pay bills, pay taxes
Shop for food
Buy clothes, wear them
Go places — and know
When to return
To their own

All of them —
Engage in every single thing —
From birth to enlightenment
To death —
Just like those
Who never said
They’re not human beings
In a universe

So what does it matter
To whom
What difference does it make —
What possible difference —
Whether I am
A body in a world
Or something else — nothing —
With the world inside me

Can it make
Any difference
To my daily life

Can I stop taking my children to school
At the allotted time
Skip the pick up—
Forget the clubs, the cooking
The shopping
Can I stop watching the clock
Not drive to work
Not come home

Can I act — in any way —
From morning till night —
Without implying
Without betraying
Without showing
That I am a me
Walking around
In a world
In a vast universe

Who cares
If the world — the universe — and me
Are not true
Do not exist
Who cares

Who has ever —
Taken a single step —
Without a body

Who cares if the world —
And I — are illusions
Or delusions
Who cares
When I am still here —
Hungry, thirsty
Ageing
In pain
Decaying
Dying