The masked men on the street asked,
“Son, what do you know about life?
You squander away your youth,
why don’t you settle down with a wife?
Get a job that suits you,
work till your back screams out aloud.
Take your pay and build your house,
in which you’ll sit tall and proud.
Embrace these attractions,
there’s so much you can do and learn.
Be nice to everyone,
for their respect you must earn.
Give birth to many children,
teach them what is right and wrong.
Raise them like your parents raised you,
instruct them with stick and song.
Look how beautiful life is,
learn to appreciate its vivid charm.
Drink and make merry,
a little alcohol won’t do you harm.
You’ll miss these days in due time,
as you grow older you will know.
As youth begins to slip,
all who you love will slowly go.
Follow our advice and be happy,
you will surely thank us someday.
Do you understand, child?
Is there something you want to say?”
“Take your advice,” I said,
“Masked men I cannot trust.
Especially when I can’t see your face,
and your bodies only reek of lust.
You speak of wife and children,
but what of companionship and loyalty?
While they writhe in your absence,
you sit with your mistress on a tree.
Your jobs and money,
have done nothing but curved your spine.
In spite of your big houses,
you sit high on the rocks and whine.
What attractions can you see,
apart from your machines and your duty?
Stuck before moving screens,
does being a lifeless puppet count as beauty?
You speak of making merry,
but your alcohol and drugs have turned you sour.
You’re bound to time and money,
trying to take control of each and every hour.
You grieve the loss of loved ones,
but were you there when they needed you most?
Were you busy with work and routine,
or flying across some foreign coast?
Don’t preach your flawed happiness,
when your own words you cannot heed.
Torn between being liars and losers,
consumed by selfishness and greed.”
Stunned, they looked on,
as I reached out and pulled their mask.
Revealing their beaten, vacant faces,
I did not hesitate nor did I ask.
Once the veil was lifted,
their true face came to light.
There was defeat and disappointment,
and there was no will to fight.
Their wise words fell on their face,
for they did not know the key to life.
It didn’t lie in success or happiness,
it didn’t lie in the arms of a wife.
All that they spewed was a sham,
even they hadn’t figured good and bad.
Chasing respect and recognition,
had turned them disturbed and sad.
The Void Of Nothingness 