The Fool by Diego da Silva
Fools And A Folly
Missed Connections in St. Augustine
I almost don’t mind playing the fool.
Like any comedian, I “throw myself under the bus” all the time,
if it’ll get a laugh or make a story more interesting.
But BEING fooled is no fun.
Even when I’m sure it’s you, I’m not really sure it’s you.
I’ve been dead wrong more than once already.
And I get compared to Sandra quite a lot, but no one has ever seen Audrey in me, so I guess I’m wrong again.
So, goodbye to my own personal folly –
these anonymous Craigslist Missed Connections ads.
I don’t want to play the fool any longer.
I don’t want to wish it is me the writer is looking for,
finding clues that convince me,
only to find out it is NOT me.
Instead of reading, with hope in my heart
(and a potent but fluctuating combination of wittiness and wickedness),
I’m going to stick with what I know is actually real,
what is proven to me day-in-and-day-out by both words and actions,
what I can actually depend on.
It’s been a great ride Craigslist,
and I don’t regret a minute of it.
But, despite your mystery and promise of adventure, I have to let you go.
Instead of existing part-time in two places,
it’s time for me to get to really LIVING in the non-online world.
I will miss you, Craigslist Missed Connections, no doubt.
And I still really believe in you.
In your power to bring people together and to make real and true Connections.
I hope readers find what they are looking for.
It is possible.
Good luck.
Her Two Cents
Diego da Silva’s interpretation of The Fool from the Tarot of Marseilles is quite different from the traditional image; but it’s those curiously hopeful differences that make it the perfect match for our poet (and poem) from St. Augustine. While reading and dreaming about missed connections can certainly be called a folly, I don’t think anything done with a good intention is ever foolish. Chasing butterflies can make you happy even if you never catch one.
