To Be

To be a day away
From all the things that bring me pain.
To stand and see the gray
To sit and watch the storm and rain.

To be alive and see the dead
To feel, but only feel an ache.
To stare at life, as it is spread
To watch it break, and quake, and shake.

To sleep but not to rest
To listen to a voice, but hear
The silence of its quest.
To laugh but feel a tear.

Is this the life we live?
To see and hear, and yet stay mute
To have but not to give
To be a tree yet have no roots?

What does it mean, to be?
How can we make this all worth while?
We must believe - be free!
And to the world: we simply smile.

-Phil