Parenthesis

"To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

—Tennyson, "Ulysses" (1833)

Have I still got anything in me?

Is there anything left to say?

These are the questions that perplex me

As I slouch in bed today.

All the ads out there distract me,

Feeble content lies in wait.

Few, indeed, the friends who read me,

Dulled the once romantic state.

There is, I fear, no simple answer

Silently in awe to heed.

What I have is that I have to—

If the Other has agreed!

Sedgefield, Western Cape, South Africa, April 18, 2026