What Is Existence? Poem by Ridge Dillard

What is existence?
Memories and emotions
Dimwitted notions
Of affection
Endless hours of reflection
What is the sum
Of the days we’ve spent
Under the sun?
The endless run
To make our way
To have our say
Until we lay.
The chasing of dreams
Though odds may lean
In a discouraging manner
And goals hark back
With the familiar banter
Of deference.
The struggles define
Our life and Times
Though beauty may creep forth
From the grotesque shadow of oppression
In many forms
I feel forlorn
No sweetness can lift me
While I’m stuck sifting
On the nature of my being
What is existence?