You Won't Believe the Answer

Reflections

This short poem about faith begins with the speaker facing a problem he can't resolve. The specific issue is not identified. He faces a lingering question, / A challenge to resolve.

The speaker does what many of us do first—he turns to effort and intellect. He studies, analyzes, and overthinks, but is unable to arrive at an answer. The line By now I needed a drink adds a touch of humor, and hints at exhaustion and frustration.

In the next stanza, the search widens. The speaker asks Google, ChatGPT, / Experts renowned yet smug, and scales the heights of knowledge. These lines highlight common approaches to problem-solving in our society: when we don’t know something, we look it up or seek an expert. Yet even after climbing a mountain of knowledge, the speaker ends up checking beneath the rug—a playful way of saying he has looked everywhere, but his search still hasn’t helped.

The final stanza reveals an unexpected answer. The best solution is not intellectual analysis or expertise, but simple faith, a prayer, / A wish upon a star. The poem doesn’t reject knowledge, but it suggests that our intellect may reach limits. It reminds us that some of life’s deepest questions cannot be solved by logic alone. At certain times, we may need to rely on trust, faith, humility, and hope. Opening ourselves to faith and prayer, or even expressing a simple wish may be our best and wisest choice.