By Madison S. Hughes (05.25.2009)

Many search,
and fewer succeed.
That ever-eluding happiness,
Just like you and me.

We seek it in fortune,
We seek it in fame.
It’s a vicious cycle,
But rarely a gain.

We take three steps forward,
And two steps back.
We find it in theory,
But rarely in fact.

We chase an illusion,
And mistake it as truth.
This abstraction called happiness,
Seems always aloof.

We seek pleasure,
And avoid pain.
We look to the wrong places,
Our search seems in vain.

It’s never easy.
It’s always hard.
We search for answers,
Maybe from a bard.

A bard is only human,
That we can see.
So maybe the answer,
Is within you and me.

So the search continues,
One day at a time.
Maybe you’ll find yours,
Maybe I mine.

It’s hard to say,
In a world full of sin.
Maybe it’s not found from without,
But instead from within.

So how do we find it,
If it’s within ourselves?
The strategy must change,
So now we must dwell.

Accepting this challenge,
How should we begin?
So, it’s not from without,
But deep, deep within?

The clay that we work with,
Is found in our soul.
That is scary to look at,
We will have to be bold.

But ours is no different,
From all of the rest.
So let us dive in,
And hope for the best.

My glass is half empty,
But I’ll give it a try.
What’s there to lose,
We’re all going to die.

But until that day comes,
Here we must remain.
It’s not beneath our dignity,
We need not search in deign.

But why search alone,
With all of the wisdom of past.
While they are no longer with us,
Their works continue to last.

These bards and sages,
How brilliant they were.
We could read their works,
From which we may infer.

But as we’ve determined,
The answer is within.
Synergizing their works,
Gives us a place to begin.

A benchmark, if you will,
Instead of a blank slate.
We have many to choose,
From which to debate.

No one has the answer,
And nor do I.
But we can’t do nothing,
As life goes by.

So let’s make a deal,
In our quest to find.
I’ll help you find yours,
And you help me find mine.