to be

to 

 be— 

to write one sentence 

     of a great narrative 

             that in no

                        manner belongs 

                  to me 

                    or revolves around me.

to exist within 

a story in which I am 

not even 

a key character, 

in which my actions and thoughts

leave no large

imprint upon the world,

in which my very 

               fingerprints are forgotten

           shortly after my name. 

         but with the syllables 

I am given, 

may the line 

of my life 

make a resonant sound,

          a tone not 

easily forgotten.

            may I 

make music 

with the sentence 

allotted me. 

After Self Portrait as an Artist, Vincent van Gogh