Like A Clock Poem by Barry Middleton

it cannot be explained
no two of us walk the same path
for each of us our pain is paramount
because we own it

we hear people say
oh I know there are so many
who are much worse off than me
and so I must explain to them

how would anyone suppose
that I could somehow find relief
that I might take solace
in another soul's misery

in a cruel and violent world
I am grateful for my peace
for my safety and serenity
gratitude does not salvage despair

yes I am safe from war and terror
I am alive to see another day
yet silence screams into my brain
like a patient ticking clock