W h a t H u m a n s A r e
In a mystical, mythical land called Earth
Lived a curious boy who was curious at birth
Always and always would the boy ask
Questions upon questions would be his mask
"Why" was his favorite word—
—They could never be split, as if tied by a cord
And the boy believed in wisdom
Believed it was the one thing needed to succeed in his kingdom
His quiet feet would bring him around like fire
Feeding and sating his fleeting desire
For questions with answers
And answers with questions
To him, they were a drug
A hobby he cared not to shrug
For days and days his thirst was quenched
For weeks and weeks his hunger was met
"Why," said the boy, who was hungry for lore
"Why?" asked the boy, who was thirsty for more
But then came the question that no one could answer
Like a lonely animal devoid of a partner
The question was simple
But not by principle
Six cunning words made up the sequence
Spoken as if spoken with utmost reverence
It was his last question for the day
Before he returned to his bed where he so meditatively lay
The sun was sleepy
And its rays were foggy
But the boy, hungry again, yelled from afar
"Why are humans what humans are?"
The sun blinked
—Half second of darkness—
And began to ponder whether he was being hoodwinked
The starving boy dared to poke
"Please, Sun, this isn't a joke."
So the Sun shone bright
A fearful light
And answered
"I would not know, Boy,
I merely fly above to shine not to enjoy."
The boy was distraught, his stomach was rumbling,
"Surely you must know something?"
"My dominion is vast and changing,
But maybe the moon, who is small and frowning,
May hold the answer in which you are seeking."
"How do I find the moon, bright Sun?"
"Look to the sky when I am gone."
Salivating as if he were a starving dog
The boy ran home through the air's dense fog
He opened his window as soon as he could
Then searched the dark sky as if searching for food
Soon, before he could find the moon
The white orb did loom
Over his room
And spoke in a sigh
That resembled a cry
"What might you want, little one?"
"Oh, Moon, just an answer is all that I want."
"Then question me with the question, so that I may know what you inquire."
"Why are humans what humans are?"
The moon thought and he thought
So much so, that he began to rot
The boy was drooling, "Surely you know?"
"Indeed I know, but not what you think I know. I know not the object of what you wish to know, but indeed I know what you must know to know the object of what you wish to know."'
"Then tell me, kind Moon, what I must know!"
"To the East and to the West, even the North and indeed the South, sleeps my minion, the Sea, whom I control."
"Then along the coasts must I patrol?"
"Nay, little one, she speaks only to they who venture deep
Picking and choosing who she wishes to keep."
Wasting no time
His mouth frozen like a mime
The boy sprang forth to the ocean
In hopes of completing his mission
"Speak to me," the boy shouted, hungry and ravage, "Speak to me!"
In a wave of water
In a splash of thunder
The sea answered, her voice like none other
"What is it you want, young one? Treasure, perhaps?"
"Treasure, indeed," the boy calmly answered, "But not from a map.
Knowledge is my gold coin and have it would I, if you would subjoin."
"Then ask you're question that you so mention."
"You see, I come from afar, and I simply must know
Why humans are what humans are."
The sea roared in amusement
Into the air, water and salt were sent
"Many answers have I,
Knowledge of golden locations that are invisible to your eyes
But an answer for you
I cannot construe."
Begging and starving
The boy fell, pleading
"I beg you gentle Sea, you must know!"
"I do not, young one, but there is another who might know."
"Please tell me so I too may know."
"Under human feet, under the water that I continuously flow
Is the world itself that continues to grow."
So the boy swam to the shore
Where he would constantly implore
The world to tell him the answer
"Great, solid World, are you listening?"
"I am now, for before I was sleeping."
Instantly, the ground shook
Drumming as if reading from a songbook
Decaying hands grasped at the boy's feet
Carcasses began to creep
The boy hung on to his question
It was like a trapeze bar
"Why are humans what humans are?"
"I am old, this you must realize
Yet an accurate reply I cannot seem to surmise."
"You must think and think, World, so that I can know the answer."
"If you must know, then speak to Air, who spreads like cancer,
She who flies and disappears in a flutter."
To confront the air,
Which was nearly everywhere,
The boy only breathed and declared
"Are you there?"
Twisting and spinning, the air flared
"You must know, small boy, that I am always here."
Projecting his voice like a sonar
"Why are humans what humans are?"
The air then shuddered
And palm leaves fettered
"From seconds to minutes, from minutes to hours, from hours to days, from days to weeks, from weeks to months, from months to years, from years to decades, and from decades to centuries, I have given humans life.
But, alas, the answer is unknown to me."
Despairing and hungry, the boy pushed for more
"If not you, swift Air, who could know?"
"Go to the source of all
He who stands mighty and tall
Taller than walls."
"Who could be this tall?"
"The creator of creation
He who shines like a beacon."
"How may I find this creator of creation?"
"Climb to the highest peak
There you will find what you seek."
Dying of starvation,
The boy uncomfortably climbed a mountain
Like an eagle, searching for prey
The boy summoned the courage to say
"Where are you, Oh Creator, he who created creation?"
"I am everywhere. I am the Sun that grants you light, I am the Moon that guides you at night, I am the Sea that holds insight, I am the World that seems finite, I am the Air that delights."
The boy is amazed
"With all the combined knowledge, you must know the answer to the question that I have phrased!"
"Yes."
"Humble Creator, then please profess!"
"But why, my child, should I confess?
The answer, it seems, you already know!"
The boy's stomach was hollow,
He couldn't possibly have the answer
His day was getting dimmer
"Search your knowledge for knowledge
And if still, you do not arrive at the message
Question your question."
"How can I question my question?"
"Simply ask yourself."
The boy wondered why everything wasn't organized like a shelf
Returning to the sea, the boy looked upon his reflection
His face seemed as if it had just survived a famine
Breathing slowly
Barely
The boy opened his mouth
His lips smacked like lips during a drought
He began to ask the question—it was a fond memoir
"Curious Boy, why are humans what humans are?