Dust-bound (Poetry)

(With apologies to W. Blake)

I have searched for heaven among the wild flowers
gazed long at a small grain of sand
I’ve counted the minutes but wasted the hours
dreaming I might understand

the meaning of everything — why I am here —
why the struggle for freedom’s stale breath
all the wisdom of learning has failed to make clear
if there’s hope in what time may be left

If there are other worlds then I’m eager to see
how that fits with what scientists know
I try but eternity’s too vast for me
to imagine — each thought that I throw

bounces right back like it’s hit a brick wall
I’m so stumped I just can’t comprehend
while the words of old poets sound distant and small —
bound to crumble to dust in the end