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 repel.
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