Gnothi Seauton

• Louis Clarke, Grade 12
• Poetry
• 2011

Through the smoke of a thousand fires which choke the air with ash,
The lone wanderer treads wearily through a ravaged world.

His face scarred by many scarcely deflected incisions,
His face lined with the pain of many life-and-death decisions,
Decisions that altered the very fabric of his soul,
Tailored it to survive.

As the sun rises, I must leave him.
I am in envy of those who are blessed to live in such days.
With the coming of any Great War comes great suffering,
Great pain, great sacrifice and great knowledge.
Half a league onwards, with cannons on all sides
Is where we find out who we are;
But we avoid this at all costs, for the greater good.
I am forever asking myself if I know Tyler Durden,
And am too ashamed to answer.