A poem for you
Story and Background
One of my favorite classes in high school was philosophy. At the time, our teacher was widely loved—and for good reason.
He was one of those rare people who clearly loved what he taught. I especially appreciated how he used games and engaging activities to create a fun, open learning environment.
To this day, that dynamic classroom experience stays with me—along with a few unforgettable lessons that sparked some very meaningful discussions. One lesson I still remember centered on the early philosophers of Ancient Greece.
Socrates, the Greek philosopher from Athens, was someone I learned about for the first time in that class. Together, we explored his life, his ideas, and his controversial method of questioning—one that, sadly, led to his downfall.
What intrigued me most was his mysterious yet powerful commitment to his principles—something not everyone seemed to understand. It’s unfortunate how his story ended, though not surprising given how society often responds to ideas that challenge the norm.
It would not be for many years after learning about Socrates that I would stumble upon a phrase made popular by none other than himself. It is a saying that is referenced everywhere and one that remains inscribed in the Temple of Apollo in Greece.
Today, his words live on. It is written: “Know Thyself.”
That is why I wrote this poem in tribute to his philosophy and to one of his most famous pointers, which sheds light on the reality between identity and the conditioning of the human experience.
Know Thyself
Do I know
When I am lost
Do I know
That there’s a cost
In times I fail
To choose to see
Beyond a thought
Distinct from me
Or am I all
That I’m about
Every last win
I yearn to count
Am I all
I flaunt and own
Each precious item
I have sown
Into an image
Of my ways
A crafted concept
Filled with grace
So you can view
My neat perfection
Render praise
And validation
Yet I shudder
In how I seek
Conceal my flaws
And every leak
For if my efforts
go awry
If all is lost, then
who am I
Am I the shame
Of my mistakes
Humiliation
For what breaks
Thoughts and feelings
Start to merge
Pulling my mind
Into a surge
I can resist with
Utmost panic
Or stay calm
Through any antic
Accept the emotions
That must pass
And break through
To know at last
Then failure takes
Me on a ride
Puts all my
Grievances aside
So that I,
Can finally learn
That I am not
The things I yearn
That I am not
The things I do
But what brings life
To what is true
For I am more
Than what I see
When I allow
Myself to be
When I sit still
With life’s events
To enjoy a
Greater sense
Of deep expansion
For what’s real
Awake, renewed
To finally feel
This wondrous place
No word could capture
But only point
To all its rapture
Where timeless breath
Reaches infinity
Of oneness peace
In this tranquility
Beyond a construct
That you think
Below the surface
When you sink
Down to the space
Of which you seat
Back to your heart
And every beat
Dance with the rhythm
Of the song
That sings the depth
Where you belong
So you know how
You always are
This wisdom that
Is never far
