Let’s Study This

The deeper truth is there is nothing to explain.

Imagine if writers and painters,

Musicians, composers of all kinds,

Were studied as singlemindedly

As suicide attempts, suicides,

And suicidal ideation—

That is, with the intent to prevent.

How can we keep them from committing

Pencil to paper, oil to canvas,

Or break up those patterns in their heads?

Not to say suicide does no harm—

Not to say creativity does

None, either. But could you consider

How understanding some behaviors

Seems to mean something rather different

Than understanding others? If art

Could be prevented, somewhat reduced,

Or at least nipped in the bud most times,

Could you then claim you’d understood it?

And if suicide could be explained

And encouraged from an early age,

Exemplary cases canonized,

Would you think you’d at last grasped the gift?

Understanding behavior might be

A behavior best misunderstood.