alternative explanations

two words on a white board
two words in black, all caps, 
underlined in emphasis 
and... nada, zip, bupkis, zilch
nothing underneath
    kinda existential, sophomoric,
    maybe even philosophical

ok, i might understand that
there just were no alternatives 
but...
    what was the question?
    what was the explanation for
    which there were no alternatives?
    was it deeper than deep?
    all about life, love, god, souls, 
    and what happens in death?
    consciousness and being? 
    hope and hopelessness?
    or something more mundane?

maybe, just maybe, 
it was just a joke
a clever academic joke
to taunt and tease with an
unanswerable questions
    the way that can be named
    or explained, is not the true way
    and there are...
    no alternatives