Life As Sequencing Poem by RIC BASTASA

i was born on January of 1961
on the 29th day
i grew up in a little barrio
there were no books
but there were many trees there

then i was sent to a city school
studied hard and consistently
made to the top of the class

then i went to a university
studied the sciences, religion and the arts
lots of philosophy in there
and poetry

then i got employed
by some notable companies
where i earned money
where i got a name
where i learned the language of
diplomacy and survival

then one day, in noticed that in this
sequencing of my life
something has gone wrong

it is not the marriage
it is something else, it something that
you also know, the missing link
one that makes you wish
you were dead
one that makes you numb
the reason why you have sleepless nights
and lousy mornings

it is this link that gives you a feeling of loss
and grief
this emptiness that stays in your stomach
you are not hungry
you just feel it

it is the same feeling you have now
and you know very well why