how has time changed you what dreams have you forgotten or abandoned leaving empty spaces in your heart and mind seen by some as a far away look or just plain emptiness that you cannot explain to those who ask is there something wrong a question rarely answered in truth just the typical offering of empty platitudes things are fine nothing to worry about couldn’t be better or some other verbal detour from the truth served up with a practiced smile but closing your eyes you can see that empty space but you decide to move on into the new day without what’s been missing for so long
distant words abhorring overheard intended but veiled in denial then an all’s well smile flutters before eyes repeated gestures of oppressors seen more times than one can count objective to grease success’ pole before anyone attempts to climb out of poverty’s pit a pit stared into by tormentors from its edge gilded with promises serrated sides from which despots offer encouraging words and relay how they arose from the pit but they used the stairs
ain’t gonna be famous nobody’s gonna remember my name past my funeral but that’s not gonna stop me from being me now i know some will say i’m an old fool for doing things for free when i could charge but i don’t particularly prescribe to all the new american tenets of behavior i still believe in being a good neighbor and friendly towards most folks you were right to pick up on the most folks part see some people are just plain evil i don’t blame the devil bad parents or hard times they’re just plain evil and even they can’t stop me from being me what about you can you be you
aunt bea was on the phone when i arrived i overheard her say to someone that’s so very sweet of you dear but my schedule is such that i’m just too busy to do that since aunt bea told me yesterday that she had an open schedule i was a bit confused aunt bea clarified by saying to me that was a call from a representative of the company and volunteer organization where i used to work they wanted to have one of those dinners for me where folks talk about the past and pile on praise for accomplishments but child i ain’t dead yet nor am i finished so i don’t need no matter how well intended one of those out to pasture events what i did i did but i have more to do more dreams to fulfill and more roads to travel when you freely walk into life’s pasture and assert to yourself this is where i belong then life’s journey has truly ended
