Learning Outcomes

Dream on. We’ll all be long dead
Before we do this again.
Who knows what we’ll know by then?

Do you ever get the sense
The universe is holding
Secrets deliberately?

If it is, you know, fat chance
Of us learning anything.
Everyone’s been proceeding

By positive or neutral
Assumptions. Something wants us
To know, and may have posted

Not just clues or instructions
But detailed learning outcomes
To be checked off at the end.

Or the whole mess is careless,
Just matter and energy churning,
Discover away or don’t.

But if the night’s malicious
Or willfully capricious,
How could it fail to trick us?