Day 8 OctPoWriMo: "What do you know and how do you know it?"

For today's poem we were encouraged to take that question, "What do you know and how do you know it?" into consideration and write freely for ten minutes to see what we know and how we've discovered it.

The result of my ten minute exercise is a free form poem almost; not quite an essay, not quite a poem. I'll include it at the bottom of the haiku I wrote that sums up what I discovered about myself in a few lines for those who don't want to read the whole thing.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

People are precious
each one irreplaceable
treasure the moment

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

The long version...

I know that life is short
and often changes or ends
abruptly

even with warning
when life ends
it leaves a hole 
nothing else can fill

People are not interchangeable,
people are all irreplaceable
what's lost is lost
but never forgotten

I know these things
because of experience;
that toughest teacher
of them all

the lessons are cold
and often cruel and
there is little way
to avoid them

even if you try
to learn from
the mistakes of others

then you just make 
different mistakes
unique to you

trial and error are
and integral part of life
losing your way
doesn't mean you'll always be lost

finding yourself is something
you must do every day
to keep the world from
taking you over completely

love is all that matters
in the end
it's always worth giving
it's always worth doing

then you can look back
and know you acted
in kindness

knowledge brings 
peace of mind that
can't be purchased
or taught or learned

it just is

without it life is hell

there is no joy without peace

no hope without forgiveness

no life without love.