Hats

I'm a soldier,

Bearing arms in defense

Of a country,

Of a dream,

Of an ideal

That I hold high

Like a banner

Flapping furiously

In the changing wind of circumstance.

I am a traveller,

Always on the move

A rolling stone

Leaving moss gathering

to sedentary harvesters

The blessed holders of calling,

Dutiful guardians of tradition

Sages of age old lore.

I am a martyr

Self-effacing,

Not daring to express

The things that lie within

Sacrificing self,

Silencing opinions,

In the interest of

the common good,

Taking on the world,

Yet frozen in the presence of one.

A clown on stage,

A hero on page,

A doctor in the field

A paralytic in emotion,

A healer,

A killer,

Positive,

Purely pessimistic,

Joyous in anger,

Angry in sorrow,

Flying high in jubilation,

Breathing in the air of exhilaration,

Plummeting til impact

With meteorite force

Scorching unexpecting ground.

I am a magnet,

I attract, I repulse.

I am many things

Yet nothing at all

I could mean the world to someone

Yet nothing to most.

And these are the hats that I wear,

The masks I put on

The roles that I play

The layers I must peel away

To get to the core,

The Grail that is the object

Of quest for simple truth