Oh, And One More Thing

Have you ever met,
Yourself from fifteen years ago,
And had the chance to tell you everything,
You think you ought to know?

Not about specifics, but attitude.
Not about direction, but outlook.
Do you start off with love or with exploration,
Or even treat them as separate books?

And do you tell you in a serious voice,
Or try to lead by example,
And excude the confidence you tell you you should have,
While life is still fairly simple?

And is it alright,
When you wake up dying in the morning,
When you realize you should also have told you,
That you won't be able to keep up the partying?

Connecting

Sometimes there is just no way,
To form a connection,
No enthusiasm, or real reason,
Outside of the desire of one person,

Who is ignoring that the desire,
Ignores any commonality,
Other than being human,
And in the same vicinity.

But, like life itself, there is no telling,
What any moment can bring,
If you are open to the chance that,
Life can bring anything.

But it's alright,
If you already have everything you could need,
From life, as it is.
Consider yourself extremely lucky.

Never Sleep

There is no telling what will happen,
Especially, if you try to tell.
And why try to narrow down the possibilities anyway,
When they are eternal?

When they could take you places you could never imagine,
Or places you would never wish to?
It's best to concentrate on where you are,
In case you find yourself in someplace new,

And need to remember some semblance of yourself,
To stay rooted in something real,
Because when possibilities happen,
You need some time before you will feel,

Alright.
I mean, you could do it the other way,
And forever chase and never get to feel,
What it's like to have been on your way.

The Hole

It doesn't take a lot,
To make a hole in your life.
Just a twist of fate or mind,
Will cut like a knife,

Through your confidence in who you are,
Because, in reality,
Who you are is on as shaky ground,
As the world economy.

And there's no way to repair the hole.
It just has to disappear,
Once you've forgotten, again, that you're like everyone else,
And not superior.

But it's alright,
That says nothing about who you are,
Only about what we do to survive,
And what we do to get far.

Keep To What You Don't Know

There are things that are not easy,
And some people say that's when you know,
That you are doing something worthwhile,
For, why do something easy for,

Like something you like that you're good at,
That is harder for other people to do?
It seems a waste when other, less natural things,
Teach you,

How to overcome your deficiencies, and isn't it those things,
We should really be focusing on?
Nothing ventured, nothing gained,
So why venture for something already in your possession?

Oh, it's alright,
Maybe others can benefit,
From your talents, and I guess that's good for them,
Isn't it?

Empire State Of Mind

What's not accessible,
Anymore,
In this realm of everything searchable,
And everything stored?

But just like the needle in they haystack,
It's harder to find when you add more hay.
And just like the life that's burdened with debt,
It's hard to get through the day,

And just like it's easy to forget what's important,
When there's too much information distracting,
Your mind, as if it had any relevance,
To anything,

It's alright,
Just remember to clear your mind.
Nothing has changed since the establishment,
Of the organization of human kind.

Don't Affect

It can get too close to home,
Which is why you must keep the door closed,
In case the eyes that watch somehow affect,
How your thinking goes,

And how your actions affect the world,
Because there is a big difference,
To doing things for people, as such,
And doing them for someone specific,

For the more you try to alter things as they are,
The less you must think of details,
Unless you can coordinate infinite parts,
Of an unpredictable tale.

And it's alright,
If you just want to stay indoors,
And not be bothered by anyone.
That's what being is for.

Polls

How could the polls lie,
When they're taken from people,
Of all types, randomly,
Who have never had the deep fall,

Of pessimism regarding what is wanted,
When someone asks questions of them,
Like the findings that people are optimistic,
In Afghanistan?

And by the time any results are taken,
Surely, they still are exactly the same,
Because, thankfully, people don't,
Change.

And it's alright,
To run your life according to polls.
There is no portion of the population,
That refuses to take the call.

How To Be Perfect

Nothing is perfect,
This is something everybody knows,
The craftsman, mathematician, philosopher,
And parent, as far as that goes.

But there is definitely an ideal state,
That something can find itself in,
Which requires moving with the flow of imperfect things,
So you are in line with their imperfections,

And somehow there is a perfect way of thinking,
About reality, as such,
Which surely must leave you in that perfect state,
Even amidst this imperfect bunch,

Of humans, alright,
Who might be perfect themselves, in their own way,
Who may just want to be perfect with you,
One of these days.

Living

Just before you forget,
Don't forget to do that thing,
That you forgot to do yesterday,
Because of all the other things you were doing,

Like trying to figure out how to get,
Everything you have to get done, done.
The immense addition of responsibility
Is what will distinguish this generation.

And if you have nothing to do,
Get ready for one of two things:
Either your life is absolutely meaningless,
Or you've found the elusive meaning,

To being alright,
It's about understanding,
That all there is to do doesn't need to be done,
To make a living.

Gotta Go

Though it's hard to see,
Every problem has its benefit,
Like knowing how other people deal with a problem,
And get out of it,

And not to say that there's a silver lining,
On everything,
But there is something to learn in every situation,
And room for growing,

And every perfect situation,
Is also cause for alarm,
Because there's also always something around,
That would love to do you harm.

And it's alright,
There's always time to remember,
That no one has the time anyway,
Because of the forever.

Getting Ahead

There is a fine line,
Between self-help and common sense,
The one only scratching the surface,
To ignore commitment,

To what's important,
Which is common sense,
Which is following your heart,
And as reliable as sight, touch or scent,

Or hearing and taste, which is really to say,
That it is not perfect,
But much deeper than any rule of thumb,
That is really just a product of it.

And it's alright,
Either one can get the same result,
And it's not how you feel, but how you look,
When you're trying to move up.

Meet Me Halfway

Is there anything one can teach you,
Who knows nothing about you?
Truly, you've just described everyone,
That you ever knew.

The depth you feel that no one could ever touch,
Is twice as far as you imagined,
Because that depth is matched in everyone else,
Unless you don't think they're human.

But knowing's not the point of knowing someone,
It's to give the benefit of the doubt,
That the deepness you feel so strongly in your own heart,
Can also exist without.

And it's alright,
If you choose only to believe in yourself,
That's worked to create many successful people,
In the realm of material wealth.

Everything You Want

It is overwhelming,
Thinking about all the things,
That can be done and is done and will never be done,
While you are living,

Like knowing all the things that can be done,
That you probably would like to do,
Overloading you into inaction,
And depressing you, too.

But you can only eat an elephant,
One bite at a time,
And, even then, you have to digest each piece,
If you don't want to die.

And it's alright,
Though the world will not wait for you,
Even if you have one experience of progress,
You'll come out feeling brand new.

Gotta Be Somebody

How can you ever pass on,
What it is you've learned yourself,
Onto the next generation,
Other than how to build a shelf,

Or how to treat a wound or strategy?
Everything thing else depends on your mind,
For what leads to destruction in yours,
May have nourished curiosity in mine.

For every moment spent by one person,
Is completely foreign to others,
So that for two people to have the same experience,
They would be different from one another.

But it's alright,
If two people know each other well,
The fact that something is important to one,
Will make the other think it's worthwhile.

Happy New Year

If you've ever seen the moon,
Move across the sky,
Leaving a trail behind it of light and colour,
You may have wondered why,

Others did not take the same view as you,
On the immensity of the event.
The same goes for other things in your life,
Which you thought were of great moment,

Because the randomness of your existence,
And the existence of those around you,
Is so pronounced that absolutely nothing,
Can be considered absolutely new.

But it's alright,
As you scurry through this life,
Trying to make things magnificent.
Just don't expect others to be as surprised.

Before Time Starts Again

Every day will pass,
Just as some never end,
Just like there will always be poor,
And war and famine,

And when you wake up in the morning and you are,
Tired beyond belief,
With all this living stuff, try to remember,
The tree doesn't lament the loss of a leaf,

Unless it's not the season.
There really is no comfort,
When your body aches before its time,
Or your life is cut short.

But it's alright,
There's always the after-life,
Whether you're conscious at that time or not,
It's a comfort until you find out what's right.

Live Like We're Dying

There is too much to know, today,
Too many sites to be a member of,
Too many people to know who know everything,
You need to know about the,

Way to meet the people that you need to know,
And the sites you need to be in on,
To truly reflect the person that you are,
And to find self-realization,

Because the way today to identity,
Is by witnessing it on-line.
It's truly a new way of being,
Unless you look at the human race over time,

And see that it's alright,
To be a public persona,
But the eternal mysteries of the soul,
Will still be locked from this arena.

Already Gone

You just have to keep on truckin'
Because if you don't,
Your debt will build up and society will shun you,
Oh, and you will lose your home,

And dare I say that your soul will be affected,
When you may not even believe in it,
Or, at least, that it continues to exist,
After money becomes your prime source of contentment,

And not as the source of your luxuries,
For that is denied to all, but a few,
But the source of the bare minimum,
Required to be considered among the few,

Who deserve to be alright,
For if you just don't have enough,
It's almost comical to call you a human.
Boy, isn't this existence rough?

Freedom in the Next Life

You can do anything,
Oops, except what you want to do,
Except so far as your true desires,
Coincide with what you,

Are expected to do by society,
Those close to you and yourself,
And, of course, the strangers looking at you,
Who have opinions about mental health,

And the ads you see on TV,
Because you wouldn't want anyone to see,
That you let yourself go in the name of,
Self-identity.

And it's alright,
There may be another life after this one,
Where what one does is not contingent on,
Expectation.

The Key To a Better Place

Nothing has changed,
Yet again,
Even with these unimagined ways,
Of communicating,

Even with the way we all can,
Collaborate,
There's always been some new-fangled thing,
Keeping the lower classes at bay,

And even with new world leaders,
Promising to catch up to,
Like FDR, how things should already be,
We're still an eternity from what we should do,

To be alright,
Meaning justice for all,
For in equality was created by us,
To satisfy a few peoples' baser call.

Merry Christmas

Now it's time to reflect,
On what you believe,
Not because of the season,
But because it's time to leave,

Your shell of unawareness,
Of what's happening around,
Not because of your age,
But because of the sounds,

Of the whispers now rising,
Above the din of exchange.
Do you hear what they are saying,
About the way we all are made,

To believe that it's alright,
That we really have no say,
About how the world views what we do,
Each and everyday?

Tiger Did It

Just because you have full hands,
Doesn't mean you're on your way,
To somewhere past the place that you are;
Your tasks may be keeping you at bay.

Society may be tricking you,
With the illusion that getting by,
Puts you on a track to success,
When it's really dulling you with a lie.

And there is very little you can do anyway,
Even the successful are in this trap,
Because if you try to break out of the mold,
You'll quickly fall, just like that Tiger chap.

And it's alright,
I'm not telling you to sleep around.
I'm just telling you how it is,
When you live in this structured town.

Money to Blow

You work hard all of your life,
Or maybe you don't,
Until the day that the windfall falls in your lap,
And you rise from the unknown,

And you can finally be a person,
Who can do whatever he wants,
Both in the context of personal desires,
And societal can'ts,

With spectacles that in the end,
Don't really acheive much,
Because the lion's share of people,
Still aren't people, as such,

'Cause it's alright,
To stand up against the man when you have power,
Because there are so very few of you,
He knows there is no reason to cower.

Oh, It Won't End

Once you are in a funk,
It's hard to get out,
Like when your health-care bill is finally passed,
But still leaves no doubt,

That the companies that always towered,
Will tower more still.
On a smaller scale, the bumps in the road,
Have suddenly become hills,

Like the chance that 192 countries,
Will come to some kind of agreement,
The greatest acheivement's sometimes just trying,
To show that it's not uncommon,

To be alright,
And still not be alright,
Because the world's just not cooperating,
In the face of your incredible might.

Don't Know Thyself

It is impossible,
To express what you feel.
That is why most people never do it,
And for others it's such an ordeal,

That never ends and comes out in song,
Tirade, fists or sometimes tears,
And that's the nature of emotions,
Just like we don't truly know the source of our fears,

Or likes, or loves or even ourselves,
These are the questions that can keep you occupied,
And someone successful lied to keep you in place,
If he told you otherwise.

But it's alright,
To be kept in your place,
If you have no desire to get anywhere,
Or to look yourself in the face.

Finally, The Truth

It's not what you think inside,
But how you act on the out,
No matter how high you esteem something,
It's nothing unless there is no doubt,

That no matter what it is you esteem does,
Is truly for the best.
In other words, you must assume what it thinks,
In no way contradicts what you've guessed,

Is going on, based on its actions.
Have you yet, figured it out?
Nothing you do can unveil the truth,
So you can only deal with what one shouts,

But it's alright,
No need for despair,
Once you resolve yourself to the fact,
That what there is, is what's there.

Is What You Made Good?

Nothing's ever easy,
If you do it right,
And if you don't, well sometimes you have to say,
"I'm not interested in the sight,

Of something with more depth than what I see,
Even though what I see must surely fail,
For my joy comes with perception.
And not with the trail,

Of deception that lies deeper within,
The things I create."
Oh the joy of knowing what's entailed,
In the complexity of what you've made.

And it's alright,
Never will you go to bed mad,
That others perceive you as a failure,
For what you make will never be bad.

Help's There

Things are never as bad,
As you imagine them to be,
Because what you imagine is mostly based,
On what you think other people see,

But if you assume the best of other people,
And that they want to help you succeed,
Then there is no such thing as a quagmire,
Only bends, dips and high weeds.

And you might even be surprised by the outcome,
And reaction from someone you'd never think,
Would have had anything at all but bad thoughts about,
The way you are doing things.

And it's alright,
If sometimes this theory fails,
Just like you can't win the lottery without a ticket,
You can't be helped if you think that no one cares.

That's What You Get for Living

Just because what you've uncovered,
Is not what you had hoped to see,
And causes more imposition on your life,
Than you ever wanted to see,

Is not a cause for self-destruction,
But regeneration.
You are the same person that started,
And will be stronger at the completion,

Unless, of course, it's a total failure,
And the effort becomes never-ending.
Then you may want to reevaluate,
The choices that you are making.

And it's alright,
It's just another example of what it takes,
To be a being for whom nature is more,
Than a place to simply navigate.

Life IS a Box of Chocolates

Life's like a box of chocolates,
If you only nibble on each one,
And no matter how many times the same one's bitten,
There is always still some,

And no matter how many new ones you take,
You never fail to find something new,
And if sometimes you look at them and get depressed,
That there's absolutely nothing to do,

Or nothing going for you except these chocolates,
Which, really, are all there is,
'Cause when you try to look under the box for the legend,
All you find are more chocolates.

But it's alright,
At least you know what you are working with,
Until you find the chocolate covered meat,
And realize that rules just don't exist.

Your Place, At Thirty-Five

It's not that you are too old,
Or out of touch with the world,
It's just that you don't live in the one,
That has quickly unfurled,

Behind you by the generation before,
That is quickly changing the rules,
Just like any revolution in the past,
You must make way for the new.

Though also just like any revolution in the past,
Nothing much will change,
Except how the world's seen by everyone,
But, the world will still be the same.

And it's alright,
It doesn't mean you have no place,
But at thirty-five you have to commentate,
Rather than play the game.

Is There Still Time?

This is what someone said,
And what someone else confirmed,
Your twenties are when you think,
Your success is ensured,

And by the time you reach your thirties,
You think there is still time,
If you haven't become famous, yet,
Because the bugs have just be ironed,

And after thirty-five,
It's time to admit,
That you'd better do something fast,
If you haven't gotten what you want, yet.

And it's alright,
At least you no longer have the stress,
If you've reached forty empty-handed,
Of believing in your eventual success.

Winding Up

If you want to make things happen,
Write it down,
Not to give it to the Universe,
But because life's too endowed,

With responsibility just to,
Keep your head above the water,
Not to put it all on society,
But living with others really does sour,

The opportunity for self-actualization,
Because everyone expects so much,
Of course they also provide the background of,
The things that actually actualize, as such.

And it's alright,
Everyone gets this way sometime,
Just steal a moment to yourself,
And reflect on how everything's just fine.

Get More

If you want to get something,
Done before you die,
That is more than just learning how to survive,
More than just getting by,

That is more than pleasing everybody,
Except yourself,
Or living only for your own desires,
In the name of mental health,

That is more than acheiving the kind of success,
That makes you lauded in your own age,
Because there's a higher standard that can expand,
Your work past your current stage,

Well, it's alright,
All you have to do,
Is forget about everything that you want,
And make no excuses for you.

Release

When it hasn't come out of you,
In a very long time,
It does not mean it's stale, but you might have to,
Remember how to climb,

To those heights that bring it about,
Because it's in all of us,
The result of working up to the moment,
When the world is glorious,

And others cannot help but know the origin,
Of the product,
Because it's as natural as stardust,
Whether it's in everyone or not.

And it's alright,
If you're embarrassed in the end,
That just means that you've produced something true,
To your deepest opinion.

Impossible Success

Is there really so much,
Going on,
That tasks are always being completed,
And nothing seems to be getting done,

That the end of the day never comes,
Where there is a flawless sleep,
Because the next thing's always calling to,
Be complete,

That what one loves and what one has to do,
Can never be one and the same,
Or, at least, if they are, there has to be,
Some kind of intrinsic change,

To make it alright,
To actually do it,
Because others around would never stand,
A success that is legit?

Why Not All?

What does it take to make it,
And what does make it mean?
Other than to have the freedom to do what you want,
Without having to live lean,

Without having to wonder if you will still,
Be able to do what you want later,
Because you're now just taking the chance,
That you'll somehow have the same freedom in a year.

Which you won't unless you are,
Of a very, very small group,
As it is now, as it has always been,
Until there is some kind of real coup,

That makes it alright,
To be born anywhere,
And still have as much comfort as someone with,
A silver spoon serving up his fare.

You Moving?

It is very easy,
To get stuck in a rut,
And imagine you're going places,
But,

If you stop and look around you,
You might notice that others,
Are actually moving and you're disoriented,
Into feeling your motion is forward,

Until the moment you wake up,
And all your joints are aching with the truth,
That the illusion of motion's been deceiving,
You since the moment that you left youth.

And it's alright,
At least you'll think that until the next phase,
When you realize that it's really too late,
For this motionless life to be saved.

Finally Doing It

No, it's never to late,
But, if you have to ask,
You've probably been down this road before,
With some other task,

And to say to just do it,
Probably isn't enough.
What's more likely needed is,
A stiff kick in the butt.

And even then, the chances that the conditions,
Are just right for making it work,
Are probably less than that Magnum P.I.,
Was really thirty-two.

And it's alright,
If the reference is lost on you,
Like all things anyone says, this advice is anything but,
New.

Capacity

Not every missed opportunity,
Need be a cause for regret,
Because it's not obvious in any given situation,
Which route is the best bet,

To success, and it just might be,
That you did just the right thing,
Though, this could all just be a cop-out,
For not seeing,

The big picture, or at least not keeping your eye,
On the ball.
So, do you need to change who you are,
Or just not need to understand it all?

And it's not alright,
To just say that's just how things are,
Because if anything makes us human at all,
It's that we can step up and demand more.

The Truth

You cannot stop the terror,
That things might not quite be,
What you thought they were because ultimately,
It's all a mystery,

And a best bet, no matter who you are,
Except for the scenario,
That you have enough people that agree with you,
So that what is true will never be known,

And it will never be known anyway,
I guess the proper phrase should have been,
That the fact that what's not known will never be known,
Will never be seen.

And it's alright,
If this seems like an easy cop out,
That, too, is a way to muffle,
Reason and instinct's eternal shout.

Who to Know

The waves of reality are such,
That if you want to know how you're made,
You must pay attention to the rhythm of your belly,
As your body follows the waves,

And take note your perceptions on the highs,
And on the lows,
Not the specifics, mind you, only the structure.
It's not what, but how you know.

And all this means that you must live first,
Before you can know how it is you live,
Which is both dangerous and exhilarating,
And must be risked if you are ever to give,

A representation that's alright,
And true to who you are.
What is there to know in life, if not yourself,
Before the position of the stars?

What There Is

Are there two sides to everybody,
Or more,
Or simply no discernable characteristic make-up,
That is neither a person nor,

A jumble of perceptions, and if there's not,
How could anyone have assumed to write,
A description of anyone else,
Unless they really might,

Be thinking of a world where people exist,
Whose minds actually are set fast,
And know what they would do given any situation,
That they actually think can last?

It's alright,
To try to understand the world,
In terms of a way that can be understood,
Just don't forget that it is always unfurled.

Randomness

Can truth come out of randomicity?
Isn't reality proof of that?
And if you describe whatever's given to you,
Isn't that a truthful act,

That reveals not only what you see,
But what you don't?
If I had a penny, no tenner, for all the things I miss,
I'd still never be rich enough for this joint.

But everything can be connected,
No matter how distant they seem,
For the randomness of structure and form,
Underlines absolutely everything.

And it's alright,
If you have to organize the randomness,
To get a handle on how the world is just,
Intrinsically a chaotic mess.

Finally

It's never too late,
To know thyself,
And in this age of anything's possible,
There's a tool on the shelf,

Waiting for you to use it expertly,
Even if no one has been able to,
See it as even anything useful,
Except you.

And to translate your idiosyncrasy,
Into something others can understand,
is the surpising accomplishment,
of every great man.

And it's alright,
If it takes you a while,
To figure out what you have to offer,
Just stop being in denial

Lying Story

He ended up destroyed,
Because he lost himself in the ploy,
After he found himself defending a lie,
About a high-powered, remote toy.

The sun was out and the heat was on,
As he met, by chance, is very best friend,
From whom he'd borrowed money to buy a gift,
That he never bought in the end,

Instead, he paid some bills and got drunk,
And now he has nothing for that same friend's son,
As he tells his friend that he was robbed,
At the same time the two of them were on a run.

But it's alright,
He has another friend or two,
That will stay his friends until that time,
When his best friend tells them what he can do.

Being Others

You can't be someone else,
Period.
You are who you are, and the best you can do,
Is paint over it,

And as you know paint will peal and crack,
And must be sanded and reapplied,
And if you want the same colour again,
You must keep a sample of what you first buyed.

And if you think that this is rudimentary,
You are right, but people often forget,
That being who you are naturally,
Is your best bet,

For being alright,
And excelling at what you do best,
Unless, that is, you're best at being others,
Then go on and be my guest.

Intentions

Can you misrepresent yourself,
So that other people think,
Your intentions are other than they are,
To hide that you are a rat-fink?

It all depends on your definition,
Of the word 'intentions',
For if you want to avoid all mistakes,
It should be synonymous with 'actions',

And then no thought exists before its actualization.
Oh, what a shallow world that is,
Unless you stop to think about all of your own thoughts,
That may as well never exist,

Because they're alright,
As a reverie.
The risk comes taking some of your darkest thoughts,
And making them reality.

It's How You Look At It

Fortunes change in a second,
Though a lifetime may be dedicated to that,
And if anyone tells you events are just random,
Well, they are right, but also sad,

Because they also are not depending on,
How you look at it,
Because that's the only control you have over life,
So why not work at surrendering it?

Because that makes you so much larger,
Than just a candle blowing in the wind.
It also gives you a powerful ally,
In a force that will never end.

And it's alright,
No matter how you look at it,
You'll always be the one that has to cope,
With however life is interpreted.

Book

This is a story of love,
For the story of love,
Of the varied choices left to one,
After being stripped of,

All pretension to knowing what is right,
Or even knowing anything at all,
Just as each generation has to remind itself,
To get finally get beyond,

The legacy of those who came before:
A method born of habit.
But all is lost once it is realized,
That this new story can have no end,

Because it's alright,
To describe a world built on assumptions,
But try to make sense of one built on truth,
And you'll soon find yourself with no foundation.

Who's Crazy

Yes, everyone's crazy,
Because no one knows for sure,
If what they're being told by everyone else,
Springs from nature,

Or from deceit, if you consider them opposites,
And no one knows if what they're saying themselves,
Is based on truth or even honesty,
Because humanity's innocence fell,

With the decision to live together,
And to spare each others' pain,
For both require a certain amount of obfuscation,
And estimating what's in the other's brain.

And it's alright,
There is one test for finding out:
Just compare what someone says to what they do,
And if they match, then you can suspend your doubt.

Headache

To know what it is you want to,
Do with you life,
Requires a certain knowledge of yourself,
And your price.

And should you expect to be happy all of the time,
Once you've figured it out?
It's all a bit obtuse when it's not even clear,
What 'doing' is really all about.

And while you're sorting it there're still things to do,
Demanded by society,
If you let it rule your life,
Instead of living as you want to be.

And it's alright,
If you go through life never satisfied.
Join the club.
At least you'll be allied.

What Now?

When your hands are full,
But you really don't mind,
Don't make excuses to others,
For a life that is sublime,

For outside of the society you live in,
That demands much work for little pay,
Imagine what you'd be doing with no rules,
And then think what you would say,

In those moments of pure idleness,
When your mind's free to contemplate,
Why you've ended up where you are,
And what you're here in the first place,

And you'll see it's alright,
That society ain't all that great,
Except for the freedom it gives your mind,
From the onus of figuring out where you originate.

The Top

Can you keep on going?
Is there time to stop?
What are others doing, either way?
Are you barred from being on top?

And is the one on top the one who won't stop,
And is the oldest of those who don't?
Surely, there's more than just perseverance to succeed,
Like nature, nurture, geography and hope.

And a combination of these is probably the way,
That one succeeds at what she does.
And for that matter, there are many tops,
To be striven for by many humans.

And it's alright,
If you don't know which one to strive for.
But if you don't pick at least one randomly,
You're guaranteed to never get off the floor.

Perspective

When the darkness has fallen on you,
And only clawing will help you out,
Be comforted by the thought that when you are,
There will still be doubt,

And there will still be just as far to go,
To reach any true happiness.
Like any absolute, the distance to it,
Is infinite,

And any joy you can grasp in relation to,
What you had a moment ago,
Is a triumph beyond all miracles,
That you can ever know,

Because it's alright,
Until you start to think about it,
And then you wish you never had,
And just continued to just exist.

It's Not About You

No matter how much you think about it,
Nothing will change,
Unless you take it upon yourself,
To amend your brain,

And consciously make the world,
Not how you naturally see it.
Because, remember, nature is a combination,
Of who you are and what you found yourself taught.

And it's bullshit if someone tells you,
You were taught all wrong.
With everyone in the world taught differently,
They're just angry that you'v got more going on.

And it's alright,
If they search for themselves in everything that you say.
Chances are they're just hoping you haven't found out,
How they actually have none of the things for which you've paid.

The Enviable Life

Yes, life is passing you by,
But so is it passing everyone else,
And not to make everything hunky dory,
But there's a life for every self,

And taking any one and putting it on display,
Creates an art, as is proved by new media,
For what's interesting is not what's produced,
But how much truth can be seen by ya,

'Cause whether drawn, written or thought to yourself,
You'd be surprised how much deception there is.
You want the proof for this, just look at your life,
And identify the fruits of your wish-es.

But it's alright,
For no life always feels fulfilled,
And the outward view is no gauge of just how,
Many wishes in it have been killed.

The Value of You

What's the measure of a man?
It depends on who
Holds the ruler and where it is he got it,
Because there's no likeness between any two,

But if it happens that there's still an agreement,
Among an impressive population,
That you are made of laudible qualities,
Then,the scale has reached objectification,

Not as a measure of who you are, though,
But of the calibration of a few,
For no matter how many are in agreement,
There are an infinite more who are not, too.

So, it's alright,
If you're told you're great or good for nothing,
The only critique that is ruler in its universe,
Is your own self-judging.

This Little Piggy

No moment is wasted,
Even the wasted ones,
Even if you are thinking nothing at all,
And creating no productions,

Even if what you are doing,
Is impeding others from doing things, themselves,
Reminding them that you exist,
But leave everything on the shelf.

Mere existence is a powerful thing,
And consciousness of it, even more,
Especially in light of the fact that you can't,
Know that other people are.

And it's alright,
If you don't intend to be productive again,
You won't be able to avoid it,
Being a human.

Life Well-Lived

Is it ever too late?
Not if you're among the right crowd,
And you don't forget what it is you love,
And how,

To do it in such a way,
That you forget,
That you're doing it for someone else,
Because you wouldn't,

And still be doing it with honesty,
Because that is the point,
Unless you want to live a life unlived,
Because then you'll be going,

To be alright,
Because there's no hard and fast rule,
That life should be lived any specific way,
Unless you want to be arbitrary, too.

It's Soon

It is any day now,
And it's like time has stood still,
And you don't know what it's going to be like after,
So, what is life until,

That moment, and what is that moment, too?
Where is it you are residing?
Or, perhaps you should just appreciate now,
What you are experiencing.

And when the time comes that it's all in the past,
You can remember that you were once,
Someone completely different than who you are now,
And that in identity there's no permanence.

And it's alright,
Life is full of these little things,
That make you question what it's all about,
And makes you pray for no endings.

Making Change

Things can change very quickly,
In fact, they do,
And keeping track of where the changes lie,
Is only helpful to a few,

Whose joy comes not from living life, per se,
But from analysing life so far,
While for the rest of humanity,
It's a constant war,

Of conflicting passions and the thoughts that serve them,
Amid this background of ambition.
Change is necessary when you want something else,
But only of a portion,

Of what's not alright,
Because some things need to stay in place,
For the things you want to have any meaning.
Really, it's a losing race.

Non-Stop Train

If this was the last time,
You had to do something,
Because your life was about to change,
Categorically,

So that there was no turning back, unless,
You completely changed who you are,
Would you do that something, even if it meant,
Also changing who you are?

Because, here's the thing, you are never,
Who you were, anyway,
Except in so far that in any circumstance,
You'd act a certain way.

And it's alright,
If you're distracted right now.
You won't be held accountable for what you do,
Unless you cause a row.

Those things which you accomplish,
Which are done in private,
Shed more light on your sence of being,
Than on your accomplishment,

For reaction is completely up to you,
Whether indifference or praise,
Whether from yourself or given to others,
To appraise,

And the satisfaction you get from the task,
May be from the task itself or others' view,
Of the task's benefit to society,
And ultimately its value.

So, it's alright,
To go ahead and try it yourself,
And see whether you keep it to yourself,
Or if its life relies on something else.

Lame

The more that you do,
The more there is to do,
And the more things come up because other people will want you to,
Do things for them, too,

Because it's hard to get people to do,
Anything that has nothing to do,
With what will help only a choice few,
That will probably not include you.

And this is nothing really new,
It is basically the view,
Of the majority of people you knew,
From birth until today around noon.

But now it's alright,
Everybody wants to debut,
Their interest in helping others to,
Start making this world new.

Quagmire

It really never ends,
And society's to blame,
And if you never get out of this mess,
The complaint can be the same,

With no accusations of passing the buck,
For your ambitions only exist,
Within this arena that values money,
And digs you into a pit.

And never mind those who seem to get it,
Because most of them really don't,
And those who do were created specifically so,
There's an iota of hope.

And it's alright,
There's much that society never made,
Like your reflections on it,
And your indignation will never fade.

What You Are

Simply speak what's in your mind,
For there's nowhere else to go,
But know yourself enough to clear out the things,
About which you don't know,

Which are still you, but more the curious side,
Or, perhaps, the side that wants to please,
Yourself by pretending you know a lot,
But really only regurgitates what he sees,

And must hide his discomfort by-
Or maybe you just can't.
There are those who make a living out of bullshitting,
But bull shit's all they havin in their brain pan.

And it's alright,
If that is you,
You're speaking honestly and it doesn't mean,
You don't use what you know for doing good.

Art

There are many ways,
To skin a cat,
With different results as good as another,
Depending on where you're at,

And the value you put upon function or form,
And what pleases you regarding each one,
Which is why two different people can make,
Two works of art, each worthy of recognition,

And why the one can't show the other,
How to make the same thing,
Except to the extent that it will be,
Completely unique to the person making,

As long as she's alright,
And is doing her work honestly,
For that is what separates art from nothing,
And dreaming from reality.

Connection

What do you lose without connection,
To those around you?
What might be a good question to start with,
Is that what anyone can do?

No matter how hard you try, you do not know,
Whether you are dreaming or are awake,
Or whether you are the only one in the world,
So what difference can connection make?

The next time you talk to someone you know,
Imagine how you are being seen,
And feel the emotions being elicited.
Can you do this as a human being?

Oh, it's alright,
Sometimes you just have to go by how you feel,
Whether those feelings reflect connection or not,
They are the only things you can say are real.

Purge

Purge what is harmful,
For you do not want it,
And it takes up space that is better used,
For something that benefits,

And something will step up to fill the space,
You are afraid of leaving by the purge,
For it is not unnoticed that you will not stand,
None but purity to endure,

And if nothing else, simplicity will ensue,
For the absence of that which hurt,
And clouded all the good things. Is this specific?
Only too much reading would yield up that word.

And it's alright,
To think whatever you will,
Even if you are absolutely right,
You're not. It's simply how the space is filled.

Building

How do you do something right?
It's hard to find the criteria,
That satisfies everyone,
With an idea.

You might agree that it shouldn't fall,
And it should do what it was meant to,
And it does no damage to the environment,
Though, that consideration is quite new,

And it probably should be informed by,
Similar tasks done in the past,
And include proven attributes,
To help it last.

And it's alright,
If it does none of these things.
Some accident might come out of it,
That creates a new, useful something.

Permanence Amidst Change

Being convinced by someone,
Has nothing to do with one's head.
"Eloquence, at its highest pitch, leaves little room for reason or reflection, but addresses itself entirely to the desires and affections, captivating the willing hearers, and subduing their understanding",
As David Hume said.

And is it practice or a true belief,
In what is related, that gives it force?
Well, as in all things, including nature or nurture,
It is either or a mix of both.

And happy are those who can both believe,
And have others believe, as well,
For reality is no more than understanding,
Until facts become insurmountable.

And it's alright,
Reality was never meant to remain,
The same from one moment to the next,
Or there'd never be a human brain.

Life's Unnexpected Joys

As things die,
New things take their place,
As if some law of Nature demands,
There be no unoccupied space,

And what is new may be anything,
As far as your awareness can comprehend,
But like anyone knows, who's seen a baby develop,
Some traits are simply predestined,

And how you nurture them both affects their growth,
And the health of who you are, yourself,
And also offers you a second chance,
To learn, again, you must not think, or else,

You won't be alright,
For only instinct can tell you what's right,
And thought can only help you navigate,
Once you've determined your line of flight.

Meaning

The only way that words can tell you,
Exactly what they mean,
Is through an exhaustive review of the life,
From which they are coming,

Which also requires that one step into,
A life completely foreign,
And impossible to experience, even if it is,
For such a task requires giving,

Up who you are, which is both impossible,
And negates the purpose of stepping in,
For then the perspective needed to understand,
Is lost. Do you understand the problem?

And it's alright,
If you don't,
It probably means the meaning of your words,
Also won't.

Me Again

You can only eat an elephant,
One bite at a time,
And even if it takes one thousand bites,
I will finish mine,

Even if it takes destroying myself,
For a little while.
To think of all the steps taken since that moment,
It's almost be one thousand miles,

With not much to show for it except the negative,
Proof of my accomplishments,
And even then the breadth of my thickest morsels,
Are without my existence's benefit.

And it's alright,
I will disappear again.
I always knew this would happen one day,
And I would have a bout of indigestion.

Keeping Up

Many people say life is short,
And many people say life is long,
Just as many say it's not worth a thing,
Depending on where you're from,

And depending on how you were raised,
Life might have never given you a chance,
To make it any more than a catch-up game,
Without the opportunity to dance,

Or shout with any intent other than anger,
Because true happiness requires that,
You have some leisure, outside of survival,
Isn't that a fact?

And it's alright,
If you don't agree.
Life may just be a survival game,
And happiness is winning.

Almost Famous

Here's what you need for success:
It's about five things packed into one,
Including an ability to connect,
With just about everyone,

And then a capacity to understand,
Just about anything,
Which requires an honesty second to none,
That, as well, is generally appealing,

And your ideas need to correlate,
Exactly with the times,
Like an FDR before the war,
And then you must be in peoples' minds.

And it's alright,
If you're not successful right now,
All you need are all five to meet for a moment,
For a taste of it, anyhow.

Connecting

Don't go all out,
With who you really are,
For part of being human's holding back,
From going to far,

Into the world, for the more you do,
The more it tends to want to be like you,
And rob others of the right of being,
Proportionately real, too.

Even those who seem to dominate,
And achieve fortune and fame,
Could never had succeeded without intimacy,
With those who helped promote their name.

And it's alright,
To expand your world anyway,
It just means you'll be a psychopath,
And will be put in jail one day.

Peaks

The peaks often get the spotlight,
And define the moments of your life,
And present the most horrifying combinations of,
Desires and unrequite,

And the importance of the moments that lead up to them,
Are belied by that word 'up',
When in truth every moment's equal,
And blah, blah and yadda, yadda.

What does one live for, if not the future?
Even ecstacy's loved for how it goes on,
And missed the moment it runs out of gas,
And is gone.

Oh, it's alright,
There are also those moments you contemplate,
On how no moment's more intense than another,
If you can recalculate.

Why Things Happen

When things come to a head,
It doesn't mean there's any fate,
That has grouped all these ends at the same time,
Unless you contemplate,

That, then, every circumstance ever created,
Is choreographed by fate, too,
Which is really to say nothing until you start talking,
Of the person who,

Makes that acknowledgment, because she is the one,
Who has any identity in this scenario.
She could decide that it is fate today,
And chaos tomorrow.

Which is alright,
Because neither view affects how things will be,
For to know that would require also having,
ESP.

Truthfulness

There is no way to test the truth,
Behind the civilities of life,
Without some kind of sledge hammer,
With which to create strife,

And then to see the reaction of those,
Whose truthfulness you suspect,
Because, of course, if they have nothing to hide,
Their reaction will be quite direct,

Without the threat of disbanding all that came,
Before your interuption to the norm,
But if, all of a sudden, they pull the plug,
On your whole relationship, then be warned,

That it's alright,
To walk away from them at that moment,
In fact it's suggested unless truthfulness,
To you, is of no importance.

The Point

The whole point really is this,
And the intention is to not get too simple,
For far too often the answer's left for you,
To have a whole bunch of blanks to fill,

And it is also not going to be hard,
To get the nugget of the truth in it,
Because so many people try to answer it all,
Which is a task that is infinite,

And there will be no ingoring of the fact,
That the point is unique to each unique person,
Because circumstances certainly affect the route,
Each person takes to absolution.

And it's alright,
If it's not even arrived at here,
There's really not much else to say,
That would make the point any more clear.

Usefulness

Nothing is totally useless,
In fact, even useless has its use,
And the only thing that you have to ensure,
Is that the use is built on truth,

Or not, for there is a use for falsehood,
And even a use for uses that you'd not,
Want to touch with a 12 foot pole,
Unless it's something that you really want.

It's quite amazing the things you will forgive,
If the benefits seem worth it,
And that value judgement's completely rests,
On the usefulness of your perspective.

And it's alright,
Everything can be forgotten,
Even deals with the devil,
That lead to greats savings for things boughten.

Privacy

In this new world,
No one wants to talk about privacy,
Which is reminiscent of a book once written,
Where they even had their own speak,

Where one's life was under constant review,
Oh, wait, that world was much different than now,
For there were things that you could not say,
Or do, unless you were hidden in town,

And even then, privacy was everything,
No one could know what you were doing or where you were,
Unless you made no mark on the world,
With no responsibility or vigor,

To make things alright,
Because privacy was ultimately lost,
And it turns out that's what makes a human,
And why they must have it at any cost.

Persona

There are two ways to take everything,
Personally and as business,
And which one you choose to take is informed by,
The outcome you'd like best:

Do you want others to think you're soft,
Or that you know your place in this world,
Or that you have feelings,
Or that you're not sure,

Or that there's no guessing where you're coming from,
Or that you only care about one thing,
Like being fair or being properly paid,
Over everything?

Alright,
It's kind of a trick question,
Because each time you have to take a step back to know,
Which mask is the best option.

Getting Ahead

If you're thinking it is too late,
Then you're probably right,
Not becuase time has necessarily run out,
But because you're out of fight,

Which is all that separates completion,
From wishing you'd never started,
Because there's many forces against you,
Both obvious and uncharted,

Both from others and from yourself,
From chance and the inflexibility of life,
From the fact that to plan anything,
Is unnatural and destined for strife.

But it's alright,
Sometimes things go as planned,
And that's because you force them into reality,
Which is the secret of every great human.

Friends

Friends come and friends go,
And people always change,
Not inside but more in relation to,
How the world's arranged.

And how you are related to it,
Will affect your distance to everyone else,
Just like a wall that's built to stop a flood,
There can be walls built to stop your self.

And whether you like someone else or not,
Has more to do with these distances and walls,
Than what is actually inside them,
Because you can never know that, at all.

And it's alright,
Everyone's not a potential friend,
Just like not everything can possibly,
Be in your hand.

Living Right

To do what you want to do,
Do it now or never,
For whether it's nature or society,
You could do other things forever,

Like keeping up with your possessions,
Maintaining and organizing them,
That you acquire with the money you make,
Working hours and hours on end,

Because like sensing anything,
Like the smell of sickness,
Instinct can tell you what is good and what's bad,
For your personal success.

And it's alright,
If it takes you some time to employ,
All the resources at your disposal,
To eventually, fully enjoy.

The Sixth Sense

There are so many factors,
Oh, so many of so many kinds,
That, when you stop to sort them out,
You will soon fall behind,

The actual living that you're trying to sort out,
So instinct is the only sense,
That offers any help in navigating,
Through any given event.

And you may think that reaction is only,
A coordinated effort of the usual five,
And that no life can happen without them,
Never mind that you could not stay alive.

Except you would be alright,
Even if all your five senses were gone,
Because you're body'd still have the sense to absorb,
Nutrients fed through injection.

Planning

Nothing ever seems as good,
As the plan,
That is created in the world of the mind,
Which is nothing that reality can,

Mimic, just like you cannot be,
Someone else - the two worlds do not meet,
Just like how you see the execution,
And how others see it, when the plan's complete.

And nothing is ever as good as expected,
But the unexpected's better than,
Anything that could have been dreamt up,
And mapped out in a plan.

And it's alright,
It's not about the result, anyway.
The value in planning and executing,
Is the process, at the end of the day.

What's He Thinking?

You can never know,
What's in another's mind,
No matter how much he promises what he's saying,
Is completely bonafide,

No matter how long you've known each other,
Or how close you are,
Or how many people exactly like him,
You have met so far,

Or how many times what he's said he'd do in the past,
He has actually done.
How many things have you done in your life,
For a secret reason?

But it's alright,
Your own mind's as impenetrable,
Not only to others, but to you also,
And your intentions are admirable.

Time's Up

No, you can't make time,
But, also, you can't use it up,
And if you think that time's wasting away,
It's not.

In the time in which you've understood,
The time it takes to do a given thing,
The horizon of time keeps opening up,
Allowing you to do anything.

And when the moment comes that it all seems gone,
When everything you've hoped for has been spent,
You may believe that time has all run out,
But that's not what you meant,

'Cause it's alright,
You're always already done,
What you just did, but that just opens up,
Time for what has just begun.

Free Will

If the moments of marriage,
Are the most free offered by life,
Because it's the simplest example of,
The will exercising its right,

And the new union expresses itself,
As one being exercising its right,
In the larger union between the rest of free wills,
Who rule by the justice of might,

And that simple union dissolves and regroups again,
In the same relation but different actors,
What is the space between the exercises called,
And which one offers freedom more?

It's alright,
You don't have to answer this right now,
For it would impose on your free will,
To truly understand how.

What You Want

How many times can you say,
Before you say it once too much,
That there is no time to do what you want,
And what you do is not fun, as such,

But what you have to do to get by,
Not just to feed and clothe the ones you love,
But to maintain the view in others' eyes,
That you're not a punk?

Stop feeling sorry for yourself,
You're not unique,
Everyone without the guts to take risks,
Is guilty of the same critique.

And it's alright,
To just drop everything,
With the confidence that you can survive,
Doing what comes naturally.

Vacation

Just because the sun is out,
And your body's engulfed by sea,
Near a beach of white sand,
And tranquillity,

And there have been no news of concern,
Of which you are aware,
Two days into a trip that will total 10,
There are still things you cannot bare,

Like what is waiting for you when the fantasy ends.
What is really the point,
Of escaping what you deem the prison you've built?
Where do you think you're going?

Oh, it's alright,
Maybe it's for your health,
To prolong your life the length of your vacation,
And, so, your self.

The Gold Ring

Don't wake up one day,
To find that you've been too busy,
To change your life in a significant way,
And now you're stuck in perpetuity,

Doing what you've learned to do so well,
But exclusively,
While letting other talents wither away,
That were once the root of your security.

And it's never too late, at least that's what they say,
And you may begin to see,
People sprouting who've been working hard under cover,
Whose success popped 'instantaneously'.

And it's alright,
If you ever get an inkling of a thought,
That you have found what you've been looking for,
Lose sight of it, not.

Do Things Right

Know your limitations,
And your limitations in a group,
And your limitations in resources,
Unless you are a dupe.

Don't try anything if it doesn't feel right,
Because instinct is another sense,
As physical as sight or smell,
Detecting appropriateness.

Plan before you do things, even in your mind,
Walking through something from beginning to end,
Thoughtfully, and slowly for two reasons:
To visualize and for anticipation.

And it's alright,
It's never too late to fix things.
Just sit back and pretend,
That you just came on the scene.

Visualization

Can what you think often,
Really become real, just from that?
If so one must be careful what one thinks,
Because some thoughts are acts,

That one would never want actually executed,
For the mind offers an arena,
For events of fantasy you'd want no one to know,
And that serve as a vent does,

And disperses energy you'd not want used,
Amongst your fellow human beings.
So, what does this say about visualization,
Of things you really want seen?

Maybe it's alright,
To distinguish the good from the bad,
Within your thoughts so that your body knows,
Which should happen and which should never be had.

Success

What key is required for progress?
Is it natural capacity,
Or being in the right place at the right time,
Privilege, or all three,

Or just two, or is there even such a thing,
Without a twist of mind,
To interpret one's situation,
As a celestial sign?

And how does one maximize on the odds?
Like anything, hard work is the key.
Or is it? Not every story of trial and toil,
Is a story of victory.

It must be alright,
Because between all of these,
There's a way to feel like a success,
No matter how it seems.