Learn and Learn and Learn Again

How many times
Have I seen it
In my head reels
Spin over while eyes
Burn bright
And encapsulated in the corrugated
Neurons show
What I’ve hated
Displayed in
High def, sharp breath
Robs my chest
So don’t test my smile
When I jump the turnstile

Because I learned,
And saw,
And learned again
I learned with foes
Families, and friends
I culled and cried
Until their end.
And watched my closest
Dearest, descend.

So pull my sleeve
And watch, bereaved
When the fray
Claws its way
Through the fabric
And stick
Your hand
In the alkaline sand
To hear every grain
In pain, demand.

Because it’s one of those things that you learn,
And learn,
And learn
Again.
And each new instance
Is born of closeness
But reeks of distance
And each new light
Pierces, brighter
Lighter, and louder,
Than the last.