170)
I suppose the word “if”
is much bigger than
a word with two letters.
I suppose that the word “if”
is something in which
we hinge upon the either/or
as in . . .
If this, or that, and yes,
I suppose in this case
the word “if” is and can be
larger than the universe
because whatever is
or can be
will only be the way we dream,
that is,
if the hands of fate or destiny
allow them to be.
See?
I can say that we have hinged
our entire life upon the word “if,”
as if to say
I can go, be or do,
or I can live, love,
laugh and learn,
and if fate or destiny allow,
I can find myself
in the face of the sunlight
before moonlight takes place
and despite the odds
and despite the hands off fate
or destiny,
I managed to make it this far
and yet, maybe I can make it even farther
if I manage to put the work in.
171)
Then, of course, there is
the life which is beyond our control.
There is life beyond our reach
and yes, there are people,
places and things,
which all operate on a local
or independent level
and to which, each of these things
fill a slot or a station
and to which each of them are all beyond
our control.
There are words that comes to mind,
such as inalterable or unchangeable
and then there are other words
that weigh heavy for obvious reasons,
and these are words heavier to the touch
like inoperable
and this leads me to think
about how some things
are unstoppable, or otherwise,
I think about the way life is both
eventual and inevitable, and so
no matter how we wish
or no matter how we plead
or even beg, just for another minute
or if we wish for a moment
where we could change what we did
or say something different,
the bottom line is
life does not rewind
and time does not stop moving.
So, be mindful.
If your aim is to go, be, or do
or in the case of the way
we live, love, laugh and learn,
I say we need to live accordingly
which means
we need to be unrelenting
during relentless times
and we need to be unyielding
in the face of life’s severity.
Get up is the saying
your journey is not over yet.
172)
No one asks to fall to the undertow
or to drown in the emotional quicksand
and no one chooses to lose, or hurt
and no one asks to fall on their face
either literally or figuratively speaking.
but life shows up.
Life appears with twists and turns,
peaks and valleys,
falls, heights,
triumphs and victories
and yes, life will come complete
with a set of losses and failures,
which, rest assured,
and as sure as I say this to you;
life will test you
or see if, how, or when you’ll break.
You want love?
Take heartbreak.
You want a job?
Take the rejection or the lower role.
You want success?
Take the losses that come first.
Take the bumps and bruises,
live to talk about them,
and survive the learning curve
because there is not “one”
without the other.
Nothing comes easy.
Not wealth, nor success
nor love, and not even lust
comes without work.
Speaking of work,
the morning is here.
We have sprung the clocks forward
to welcome the spring,
which means one hour less of rest
and one hour more
to get things done;
and next, — today is Monday
which is fine because
I would rather get started now
than procrastinate
and never make my way
to go, be, or do.
Or, in the case of the 4 L’s
I have to adjust the way I live,
love, laugh, and learn
because this is me.
This is who I want to be
and this is what I want to do.
I want to live, love, laugh,
and learn because anything else.
is nothing more
than leaving my life up to chance
and, to me,
this means I am hinging my future
upon the uncertainty of the word “If,”
and what kind of life would I have
“if” I choose do that?
See?
The Written Addiction 