That One Thing

It is a form of peace
to become comfortable
with how lost you are
and will always be,

to know how ignorant
you will always be
of so many subjects,
even of the one 

that touched you most;
it is wisdom
to accept the lack of wisdom
you bring to most events.

Whether you burn
in hell or lounge in heaven
when you are deceased,
you will at least have one cell

committed to a certainty
of mystery.  You can be
secure wherever you go
knowing you’ll never reach the end

of what you might have learned
with a little more energy,
a little more focus, a little less
arrogance.  When you lie down

for the last time, you can be sure
there was something you missed.
It’s a legacy you’ll leave behind.
You will be remembered for it,

it will be discussed at your funeral
with lots of headshaking and wrung hands.
“Pity,” they’ll say.  “He had potential.
If only he’d mastered that one thing.”