Can You Tell Me? Poem by Joe Fraccalvieri

For me there's no reason to venture the dark,
nor does this mind of mine ponder the night
My brain does not question such things on a lark…
And I'm truly content, to live with this plight

I have no need to know the distance or shapes
of the galaxies in our universe--
or why the stars shine for so long and so bright
And whether or not we evolved from the apes
does not concern me, for better or worse,
as would a convict regard wrong from what's right
or that I should write, between rhyme and verse

That time could stop and no one would know
doesn't matter to me in the least...
So what if Hell freezes over? --
or finding a four-leaf clover? --
or if God is alive-- or deceased!

But I wonder... What do you see when you look at the sky?
How do you keep warm when it's cold?
Do you think we live on, after we die? --
What's the very best game that you've bowled?

Are you afraid to fly? Are you afraid of heights?
Does your body sigh when you say goodbye?
Do you talk to yourself when you turn out the lights?

When you hear a love song, does it make you cry?
Do you cross your fingers when you tell a lie?
Do you close your eyes and hold your breath when you kiss? --
When you were made, did they break the mold?
Have you ever been asked a question like this? --
Do your friends ever say you look old?

These are things that get caught between every thought--
Not things that we see, like birds in the air, or leaves on a tree--
The food at the fair… The scent of a freshly cut lawn
Just as a King needs an heir-- and a lock has a key
They'll be there… Long after we're gone

But as long as I'm here, I want you to know--
there's something I want to make clear
Let me just say, before it's my time to go--
that you are the one I hold dear