Stumbling On

By John I. Blair

As I stumble through the current year
I conclude the world’s gone crazy
Or maybe always was and I ignored it.

Here I sit at nearly midnight,
Waiting for my Muse to show
And slowly losing hope.

Each week I see a therapist or nurse,
Charged with keeping me alive and moving,
Challenged by the task;

But all the while I mostly think
It’s myself I’ve given up on,
Yet believing that cannot be right,

For if I’d given up I’d not be here
Tapping out these lines, my brain awake,
Even while mistakes appear in every line.

How can I abandon hope when hope’s
Defined our species just as long
As we have merited a name?

So here I sit, if not for yours
Then certainly my own sake,
Just as long as it will take.

©2024 John I. Blair, 9/25/2024