Wanting

by Columbine

The Universe is fair, and full of road signs
Learning is easy, and the patterns clear
A dish of clues awaits at every doorway
Thank you for watching, Come this way again
Cause and effect are child's play, come join in!
Here's the picture, tell me What Comes Next
So what is it that makes us keep on trying
To beat the odds, to prove the patterns wrong
We know what's realistic, how the rules go
Left, a banana; right, electric shock
An ape turns left, but ten to one a human
Will throw herself upon the glowing grid
Already shrieking, "It's not true! It's broken!"
Before her roasted flesh can reach her nostrils
She's screaming she's not burned, she's only dreaming
She could have sworn she saw an open door
If learning is our gift, wanting's our nature
The baser hunger we can't overcome
Slumping in late, smelling of crushed desire
Abashed at our own stubborn aspirations
That flash in films and lurk in libraries
That we tell our own children to believe in
Why do we fear the mad, or even madness?
Denial is what makes us what we are.

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