TRUTH IS ILLUSIVE, BUT WELL WORTH FINDING

I wrote the following poem many years ago (1971) about the search and discovery of truth.  I hope the metaphors and innuendos make your discovery rich with surprises and insights. When we performed the piece Rochelle played the "timid" answer--in picture.

Answers are Timid

Answers are timid, my friend.

They're born when the snow starts to melt

And blossom when sweat beads fall.

They can't be churned out like butter,

But must age like cheese.

In the desert they lie under rocks.

On the mountains they're high on a crest.

They're mixed in with confusion one thousand times their mass.

One must pan them like god, sift them like flour,

Or just listen.

Answers are timid, my friend.

They're so close you can touch them from here,

But you've got to know where to reach

Before that answer will ever appear.

They hide themselves in corners,

On shelves that are covered with dust,

And they're in front of your eyes…for years.

They'll take you out sailing on a bright windy day,

Then they'll make you wait in a lull.

Just when you think the wind has died, you're in a typhoon

And you must trust your timid answer

Who's at the helm.

They'll coast on the surface for awhile

Till you think you see every one of them.

Then they'll dive to the depths of the unfathomable unknown,

And won't even come up for air.

They cling to their mother, Truth

Who won't easily give them away.

She expects a good dowry

Of labor, love, and obedience.

Answers are timid, my friend.

And they're slippery when wet.

You can't hold on to them.

The more you squeeze…squish…the further they go.

You must skip along with them

On the rocks of the river of truth.

From conclusion to conclusion.

They're reluctant to appear to the uncontrolled mind,

But joyfully bounce to a brain that is ripe.

Don't make the mistake of looking for them in new facts.

Facts are just their clothes.

Undress the old facts you know.

Answers are timid, but not modest.

Answers are timid, my friend

They're bashful and shy.

They only come out for familiars and friends,

Not the lazy, the proud, or the sly.

Watch it, my friend!

They'll change size and shape on you in a flash!

So be careful!

Don't box them into your expectations.

They're liable to break the box,

Or disappear inside.

They go to those who will trust them,

Who'll take a chance on their worth.

To those who hold them gently,

Who won't squeeze them dry.

The subtle ones are the hardest to catch

Because they're bigger and more mature.

They can side-step half-hearted attempts.

Answers are timid, my friend.

But bold when confronted by those with enough courage

To seek them out in the caverns of adversity.

And answers are good friends,

Because they're always leading you to new friends

Once they know you're loyal and patient.

One answer waited one million years before he was found.

He lived in an atom.

Another lived as a human,

And is around, although human is dead.

People have talked of the human for years.

They need to discover his answer instead.

Answers are timid,

So be timid, my friend,

Be an answer.

Think on't

Andy Rumi