Bruce Bennett

The Good Life

“The good life” beckons. It is always there,
yet fleeting. A mirage. It lures us on,
but when we grasp for it, there’s only air.
Our hands and hearts are empty. It is gone.

It’s fleeting. A mirage. It lures us on,
and so we follow, always on the go,
but when we think we’ve grasped it, it is gone.
We feel we almost had it, yet we know

It’s there before us, always on the go.
We’re in pursuit, but never in command.
We feel we almost have it, yet we know
it’s just beyond our head, our heart, our hand,

And so we follow, never in command.
We grasp for it, but there is only air.
It’s just beyond our head, our heart, our hand.
And still it beckons. It is always there.
 

Bruce Bennett is the author of ten full-length collections of poetry and more than thirty poetry chapbooks. He taught English and American Literature and Creative Writing and directed the Visiting Writers Series at Wells College from 1973 until his retirement in 2014, and is now Emeritus Professor of English. His poetry website is https://justanotherdayinjustourtown.com