What determines genius…

an endowment or a choice

 

Is there destiny in all of us,

waiting for a voice

 

Is to reject your epiphany,

most used as an excuse

 

By those who pull the shades down low,

the darkness theirs to choose

 

Was Van Gogh so enlightened,

when he cut off his left ear

 

Or Joplin ever doubtful,

when she sang beyond her fear

 

Is genius so misunderstood,

its meaning false portrayed

 

That we see gifts in others

—as we let our presents lay

 

(Villanova Pennsylvania: March, 2017)