I tried to enter paradise today,
But then discovered it was occupied.
I hoped the visitors might move away,
And so I lingered some time to the side.

They gave no sign of leaving, so I strode
Amidst the shrubs, conceding my defeat.
Yet those same birds on me their songs bestowed;
The same sun beamed, the same air smelled as sweet.

And from that place, I watched the passers-by
Encounter paradise, then stop and gawk,
Desiring that which paradise denied,
Then bitterly continue on their walks.

Such ostentation, lacking privacy,
Suggests that paradise is not for me.

Inspiration: Snake Path, Alexis Smith