To See Or Not To See

A different take on Hamlet's soliloquy

To be or not to be
The so-called question,
Rather to see or not to see
Brings much greater reflection

It seems we live in a world where love is stifled by hatred,
Where laughter is outweighed by tears,
And having fun means hurting someone else.
--So why do we ask, to be or not to be?

If we are born, we exist
Therefore it is too late to consider "not being."
Whether we die or live, to be is all we'll know
So rather than focus on changing the existence of man,
--Why don't we try and better it?
I say we neither bear the slings and arrows,
Not take up arms against them
Rather set them aside, and extend an arm of good will
--One to another
And say...
I see you, and I understand.

See the problem with society,
It's not the murder and the plunder
It's not the hatred and spite,
--Those are side effects.
The problem lies in the eyes of mankind.
We don't see each other anymore,
We simply see our wants and our needs and...
It leads to terror.
--Let us look through another, see what they want
And better each other.

If we delight in anger and bloodshed,
It is simply because we look through the red eyes of hatred
--And not the green eyes of compassion.
If we feel only sadness and depression,
It is because we see through the blue eyes of fear
--And not the yellow eyes of hope.
I say we cast aside the dark eyes that lead to despair
And allow light to fill us, until that's all that's left.
Only I know that's not so easy to do...

But we shouldn't sleep,
And we shouldn't dream,
--We should act, to help one another.
There is no rub,
Unless it is for another's back
To help them out.

This is the world I see.
Now it is time for you to think.
Will you choose to see,
-Or not to see?

Author's Note

A more intellectual piece than what I normally do. Just my thoughts for the day

Reviews

[Marianne Rose]

I really relate to this piece, and though it starts with the philosophical question, it is so much more than your mind speaking- you are seeing with your heart. I resonate with what you call us to do- see clearly and understand, not through different self-immersed filters, but through eyes that look at the whole picture. You are right, it is time to see each other again, and time to act and help each other. I love your message and the heart that speaks it. Thank you.

[Darian B.]

Ah, you found my secret. I almost always speak with my heart because it is so much stronger than my mind. Thank you for the review, I'm glad you liked it!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

wow, yes, we don't see each other any more...and once born...we already are...so there is no longer "to be or not to be" and Hamlet, in his case, might have said "to do or not to do"

if we would choose to see each other as people, equal, loving people...we could get rid of the hate...this echoes what we thought about and strove to find in the 6o's----

a very thoughtful write.

with good intentions...and expressed so well.

j.

[Darian B.]

Yea, I always felt I was in the wrong generation. :) thank you for the kind words

[William Liston]

I love the message in this poem, but unfortunately, I'm one of those people who Cerveise mentioned that doesn't like it when a poem sounds preachy. There are, however, many elements of this poem that I like. One of them is how you put your own twist on the phrase "to be or not to be" and ultimately belittled it--in a good way. It not one of my favorites by you, but it's definitely something to be remembered. Well done.

-William Liston

[Darian B.]

I appreciate the honesty. It's not one of my favorite poems of mine either, and it's good to know that people aren't just telling me what they think I want to hear.

[H.L. Cerveise]

This is a great, thought-provoking poem. I know some don't like it when poets try to preach or whatever you want to call this type of poem. As you say, this is an intellectual poem; however, I can still "see" the passion behind it. If I wrote all the lines, I love from this piece this would be a very long review. The last two stanzas are a great summary and a call to action. This is a wonderful example of a warrior poet trying to push the fight for a more sane and loving humanity.

Well done.

[Darian B.]

Thanks Cerveise, there is definitely passion behind this piece as well. When a girl doesn't believe she is amazing because so many people in her life tells her she isn't, I can't just sit by. I wish I could make the world a better place, but the truth is that each person can only impact the people around them. I choose to do my part, I hope others do the same