All The Wrong Places

I searched for comfort in all the places

That my peers told me to

“It is in love,” they said

“It is not in what but in who”

Into the arms of many a lover

For each one bending myself in a twist

And when satisfaction evaded me

Into their chest, I pummeled my fist

“Where is my comfort? Give it to me!”

Certain it was their doing, all their flaw

Atop my lungs, I cried, I pleaded,

I begged until my throat felt raw

Quick and tempting was the next advice

“It’s in dizzying libation that's comfort's nest

Forget the partners, they were faulty

But gulping down a cup helps the mind rest”

So in mindbending liquor I swam

Desperately paddling, sham comfort in every pour

Not realizing that treacherous currents

Pulled me further away from the shore

Until one day from the haze, I woke

Thought I was lost in a foreign place

But when I looked in a broken mirror

What I did not recognize was my face

Examining my surroundings

Everything looked the same

It was never the land that changed

It was home, only tinted with shame

To all that is sacred, I thank

For that ray of wisdom so clear

That once the student is finally ready

Not one but many teachers appear

They showed me that comfort

Hides inside all that is dear

And can be easily found

If only you let go of fear

So I found comfort all around

Once I quit calling myself an isle

It was in a book, a poem, a friend

Even the stranger that offered a smile

Suddenly, comfort poured from all around

Even from the rose kissed by the bee

Maybe while I aimlessly paddled away

All along comfort lived inside of me