(This piece won 2nd place at the April 2010 Fayette Co. Library Poetry Slam)
In telling the story of my life, where shall I begin?
In telling the story of my life, where shall I begin?
The journey ahead is great. Don’t want to rehash the past again.
I only want to say where I’m going and not just where I’ve been.
Push it aside and see the glow which comes from deep within.
You’re going to get your hands dirty whenever you’re dealing with me.
Uncovering lots of layers makes that easier to see.
Laughter, pain and complex despair have dumped upon this soul.
It’s all a lot of messy stuff for even a tumble bug to roll.
But I’m okay and you’re okay so let’s leave it at that.
We tell our adventures with gleam in our eyes and a feather in our hat.
Why does it matter from where we’ve come and worry of what’s to be?
You are you, they are them and I am impossibly “me”.
Stories are woven to tell a tale but what parts do we take and give?
We’re a glorious tapestry on a loom and each thread we shall live.
Moments in time, hopes and dreams, aspirations and faults,
colors dancing, twisting, tangling, weaving us this waltz.
Hold my hand. Let me hold yours. I’ll follow. You can lead.
Please only give the best advice. Good counsel’s what I need.
I don’t pretend to know it all but what’s not known, I’ll find out.
Life’s too short to play the fool. That’s not what I’m about.
Good direction, soundness, truth, all things I shall explore.
I’ve seen the bad, the ugly too. Of those I want no more.
Positive energy, love and peace are welcome in my soul.
To get across the muddy river, I have paid the toll.
Tales we tell won’t make us well and sometimes leave a scar.
No matter how long the adventure I hope your journey take you far.
Travels sometime make us sick and a bit right queasy.
It’s all worth the effort though, it’s not always easy.
Enjoy the trip and buckle up. Check your gears and levers.
Cool it down when things get hot. Tend the colds and fevers.
A cup of soup can soothe the soul. An aspirin a day does well.
Remember the good outweighs the bad, whenever you tell your tale.
