Arguing with an Echo

in the mountains near my home -

It made me feel less lonely,

not quite so all alone

For when I yelled, "Hush!" it shouted, "Hush!"

and back & forth we went,

Engaged in conversation

which clearly made no sense

Until the end of daylight,

when, all my energy spent,

I realized that the echo

is much like the universe

What I put out comes right on back,

No better and no worse

Whatever the words I shouted out,

it yelled right back at me,

Just as, in life, when my thoughts ring out

into the collective sea

(of consciousness that's all about,

so close we cannot see)

Thus does the universe reflect them back,

because it always mirrors me.

***

Arguing with an echo

is like arguing with life, itself

We'll never win, we'll never move,

we'll stay stuck upon a shelf

Way up high on the mountain top

where the echoing arguments fly,

& we won't get down & we can't go home

until we set our angers by.