Steady The Boat

Everything is close,
Waiting to be dealt with,
Some things you put off because it's not time,
As if it ever is,

But why not put off until you are dead,
What you could do today?
So much has happened that will never change,
It's not your place to propose other ways,

Just keep things the way they have always been,
I've already said that,
If you try to change the way things e'er've been,
You will not enjoy that,

So don't e'en try,
Aren't things great as is?
Let's discuss this again another day,
Meanwhile, just ignore time as it passes.

One Life

There are complications,
With which life is imbued,
What you known, have learned, know you've learned is right,
The angle those are viewed,

How others can influence what you do,
For reasons of their own,
Trying to keep near what's loved, far what's not,
Hoping to god you are not left alone,

Praying that instead that you're raised to great heights,
One above ev'ryone,
For whatever it is you feel you do,
That's your contribution,

If you have one,
It's hard to figure out,
Then if you do, I hope you are allowed,
For many reasons, that may be in doubt.

Grounded

I just realized something,
Amidst all of my thoughts,
While looking through my dad's ephemera,
With eyes that have seen lots,

Held by hands that have been used for many tasks,
Mostly with the same things,
With aims remaining in the narrow scope,
Of a world mostly premade for me,

Preoccupied by fleeting happenstance,
Nothing lasts very long,
Least of all the life any of us have,
Regardless of how strong,

We all forget,
Lost among diversions,
I'll never let go my father's affairs,
Despite all that hence will therefor be gone.

Take The Time

You are not your father,
Your mother, you are not,
You’re not the expectations laid on you,
That should not be your lot,

You’re not the words that you spoke yesterday,
Conjure them if you are,
You’re not your reactions to tragedy,
Or your own children or even your car,

You’re not the guilt for any of these things,
Or product of the past,
Nor an expression of what’s yet to come,
The future doesn’t last,

You’re who you are,
Who’s reading this right now,
It’s not a question of learning that truth,
It’s a matter of figuring out how.

Our Fate

When will it get started,
This thing that we call life,
Preparing from the time that we are born,
For misfortune and strife,

By people who haven’t figured it out,
Not those who did raise them?
Some say the fate of humans is sorrow,
Forever seeking out success and friends,

Never satisfied with what we do get,
E’er comparing to Jones,
Judging self-worth by what others attain,
Ignoring the forlorn,

For they’re failures,
Too lazy to succeed,
Until we find ourselves in the same boat,
Then we find others to judge in more need.

Getting What You Want

You cannot move forward,
If you’re stuck in the past,
If you see no reason to change your ways,
Or if you are an ass,

If you’re so happy you’ve nowhere to go,
That wouldn’t bring you down,
Until perhaps the narcotics wear off,
Or the factory closes in your town,

If you have no faith in evolution,
That things can change at all,
Ev’ryone stuck with their own lot in life,
Whether they rise or fall.

But if you do,
Have hopes beyond the now,
That reality is waiting for you,
When you stop asking yourself if, but how.

Close Your Eyes

We can all close our eyes,
No matter where we are,
Fill ourselves with the silence of our minds,
Amidst the trains and cars,

The constant droning of our daily fears,
Served fresh on the news feeds,
Look left or right, the outcome is the same,
The grass on the other side e’er needs seeds,

The agendas of ev’ryone you meet,
Paranoia’s legit,
If you don’t know who you are in this world,
You’ll be a piece of shit,

No, keep them closed,
We are not quite done, yet,
Don’t stop until you’re completely alone,
You want to re-enter the world, I bet.

Good Fortune

It’s the Chinese New Year,
Don’t know much about it,
I had some dumplings which should bring money,
I’m sure that is legit,

The year of the pig is ‘bout fortune, too,
I’m doing all I can,
In the spring I’ll be chasing each rainbow,
I wish for bird shit to drop where I stand,

Nothing is off the table from now on,
I have nothing to lose,
Like mom said doing nothing’s not a choice,
I have no time to choose,

So bring it on,
Before I’m on the streets,
If riches aren’t in my horoscope,
I’m off to start collecting rabbit feet.