Let It Bern

They say we can’t be pals, that it can never be,

Why? You ask, no room for platonic with opposites, apparently,

Temptation has the final say, unless one of us is gay,

Hook-ups are inevitable, getting fresh inevitable as day,

Can’t fight biology, urges and all, put ‘em together long enough, clothes are bound to fall,

And don’t get started on situations when one or both are committed,

They may stay faithful, others lack respect and discipline, it’s a one-in-two-chance, why even risk it?

Better keep an eye on ‘em, so they’re sayin’, ‘lest you want to lose ‘em,

Guys and gals just can’t be pals, don’t say they didn’t warn ya.

But who are they to presume that all are crude and crass?

That it’s straight to the sack as soon as they cross paths?

How little trust must you have towards ‘em if you ain’t letting ‘em mingle with others, can’t control ‘em 24/7, you ain’t their mother or father,

Sounds like y’all are projecting your own lack of self-control, perhaps your own insecurities,

How’d you feel if the tables were turned? If they’re dictating with whom you’re allowed to converse,

If there’s love and respect they’d behave themselves, never do you dirty,

So leave that distrust at the door, no one looks good oozing petty jealousy,

And what if they befriended the opposite gender before they met their significant other?

They supposed to leave them behind? Their ride or dies for life?

Your issues aren’t their burden, your paranoia could cause them to flick ya,

The hell you even doing with ‘em if you ain’t trusting ‘em? That shit sounds fucking counter-productive.

Sit and chill out, let ‘em all be pals,

You wouldn’t want the same treatment, to have your own circles limited,

But of course, there’s also that proverbial elephant in the room,

This can only work if both parties agree to keep it cool,

No catching feelings, no silly business and fooling around,

If one or both can’t or won’t then it’s obviously a big, glaring ‘nope’,

But if they’re just hanging out, chopping up like a couple of buds,

No need to get worked up, let ‘em have friends while you have yours,

And if they ran together long before you’d arrived, your demands to separate ‘em instantly disqualified, couples aren’t always certain but true friendship lasts forever.

Crown Prince Freddie to be crowned,

Japan done got shook up,

Mel Hoskins passed away, did a murderer get away?

Davey Warner’s baggy green, Mickey Mouse copyright,

Storms in Melbourne, cloud and thunder up the sky,

Plane crash in Tokyo, shades of Tenerife,

Epstein’s list been revealed, hard to tell if it’s legit,

Housing crisis in Victoria, Oscar Pistorious released from prison,

Relief for home buyers, is it real or we’re just dreaming?

Wissam Tawil killed in an airstrike, Rot In Pieces, serves ya right,

Jo Koy and the Golden Globes, disastrous opening monologue,

Woolies Aussie Day controversy, is Michelle Obama running for the top job?

Covid wave in the east coast, thought we’d left this long ago,

Avalanche in California, at PNG they’re rioting,

Houthi rebels on the run, airstrikes over Yemen,

King Freddie and Queen Mary, Donnie wins in Iowa,

Supermarkets VS Farmers, knife crime victim families wanting answers,

Alec Baldwin slapped with manslaughter, Roger Rogerson bites the dust,

ScoMo quits politics, Albo out here breaking promises,

Plane crash on Sydney Harbor, Kirrily hits Queensland,

Djokovic out the Open, Neo Nazis protesting,

Donnie fined for defamation, shark attack on Sydney Harbor,

Sinner, Sabalenka, the Open champs, Godfreys just went under.

Imran Khan goes to prison, interest rates are falling,

Queensland weather woes, King Charles has cancer,

RBA rates on hold, Miley, Taylor and The Grammys

Disappearance of Samantha Murphy, to this day remains a mystery,

Beaurepaires goes bust, another one bites the dust,

Kurtley Beale not guilty, attacks in Melbourne CBD,

Kansas City wins the Superbowl, wild weather and power failures in Victoria,

Super Bowl parade, shots fired, more gun crime in America,

Taylor Swift in Australia, Swifties running riot,

Alexei Navalny’s passing in a lonely Russian prison,

Asbestos in public places, Woolies CEO calls it quits,

Virgin CEO packs it in, what’s with all these quitters?

Disappearance of Jesse Baird, eventually was found dead,

Karen Webb in trouble, Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation

Return of Brittany Higgins, tax cuts they just announced,

Brian Mulroney passed away, Telstra done blacked out.

NRL in Vegas, Sam Kerr accused of racism,

Biden VS Trump rematch, who’d have ever thought it’d happen?

Princess Kate photo controversy, speculations on the daily,

Oppenheimer, Cilian Murphy, Emma Stone, Billie Eilish at the Oscars,

Mining tragedy in Ballarat, McDonalds has a blackout,

Russian election, there can only be one winner,

Y’all know who it is, long live the demented dictator,

Australia and China, have they finally squashed the beef?

Donnie shades Kevvy, Princess Kate has cancer,

Terrorist attack in Russia, Diddy gets busted,

Bridge crash in Baltimore, AFL drug scandal, we’ve seen it all before.

King Charles here for Easter, Bruce Lehrmann in big trouble,

Give it up for Australia’s new Governor-General,

Israeli airstrike deaths, earthquake hits Taiwan,

Kieren Loveridge is paroled, was another’s life really worth all that?

Rain bomb on the east coast, earthquake hits New York,

Solar Eclipse over the Americas, Nathan Templeton left the building,

Penny Wong backs the two-state, OJ Simpson passed away,

Israel-Iraq airstrikes, Bruce Lehrmann found guilty,

Riot in Bondi, give it up for the hero cop,

Church stabbing in Sydney, Taylor Swift’s new album,

Aussie astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg, Musk and Albo, they be beefing,

Queensland knife crimes, Arj Barker controversy,

March for DV victims, may the perps be brought to justice,

Bonza done went bust, so much for all that hype,

NSW clubs data leak, hackers got ‘em all in strife.

Brothers killed in Mexico, more rain on the East Coast,

Knife crimes in NSW, QLD still copped it most,

Hamas agrees to ceasefire, can you really take their word?

Chinese and Aussie forces go at it, Air Vanuatu falling downward,

Palestine set to join the UN, Budget released for another year,

Trouble in New Caledonia, Robert Fico hit by bullets,

DV crackdowns, Brad Arthur’s marching orders,

Usyk beats Fury, Ebrahim Raisi killed,

ICC goes after Hamas, Netanyahu wasn’t spared,

Singapore place crash, Vivid on for another year,

Landslide in PNG, Qatar airways plane crash,

Tornado in the Bible Belt, Rafa out the French Open,

Andrew Giles in trouble, China lifts the beef ban,

Donnie found guilty, is his campaign in jeopardy?

New President for Mexico, India retains Modi,

NDIS fraud scandal, Pete Costello quits in a hurry,

Dr. Michael Mosley found dead, Hunter Biden gun possession,

A free man now is Jarryd Hayne, Princess Kate at the King’s birthday,

Cate Campbell’s retirement, Robert Irwin and Pauline Hanson beefing,

Jerry Seinfeld in Australia, Justin Timberlake arrested,

Bird Flu hits Hawkesbury, Stonehenge is vandalized,

Peter Dutton and nuclear power, R.I.P to Donald Sutherland,

Julian Assange coming home, Joe and Donnie live debate,

ANZ acquires Suncorp, shareholders surely winners,

Fatima Payman benched, Sam Mostyn sworn in.

Stabbing at USYD, Biden stays defiant,

Fatima Payman quits the ALP, Keir Starmer the new British PM,

France’s snap election, Russian spies in Australia,

Charges dropped for Alec Baldwin, we all saw it coming,

Donnie Trump shot at, nicked him in the ear,

Roars of why the sniper missed, among them that duo Tenacious D,

Spain wins the Euros, NSW wins Origin,

IT outage around the world, Hackers are destructive,

Biden gives up, finally, Kamala Harris his replacement,

Aussie attacked in Paris, athletes robbed in Belgium,

Netanyahu in the USA, Olympics kicks off in Paris,

Controversy right from jump, Aussies off to a golden start,

Reshuffle at Albo’s, Israel and Hamas still at war,

Hamas and Hezbollah leaders killed, yet they keep coming back for more,

Titmus and O’Callaghan bringing home the bacon, golden girls keep breaking records.

Imane Khelif controversy, Kamala the Dems’ poster girl,

Gold for Cam, Kaylee and Saya, in the UK they are rioting,

Legionnaires in Melbourne, more gold for Australia,

Earthquake in Japan, Foxtel up for the taking,

Taylor Swift concert targeted, RayGun the breakdancer,

Khelif and Ting gold medalists, contentious ending for women’s boxing,

Olympics done for another year, LA in 2028,

Arrests made for Matthew Perry’s passing, talk about a year too late,

Thailand has a new PM, Sydney Metro opening,

DNC convention, Kamala officially the leader,

RFK endorses Donnie, earthquake over at the Hunter,

Is Oasis coming back? CFMEU protesting,

Warmth, wild wind, bushfires, is it still winter?

Summer with the headstart, no doubt gonna be a scorcher,

Paralympics underway, Aussies kinda did ok.

Wild weather hits Sydney and Melbourne, seems like ongoing weather patterns,

Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Palestine, all of ‘em still fighting,

Economic growth slowed, Bill Shorten’s retirement,

Linkin Park’s comeback, a new lead singer part of it,

Cracked rail at Central, trains once again in limbo,

James Earl Jones passed away, protests in Melbourne,

Donnie VS Kammy in Philly, Brett Button goes to prison,

Justin Timberlake pleads guilty, Donnie shot at yet again,

CFMEU protests, Israel and Lebanon, is a war imminent?

Hezbollah leader killed in an airstrike, Brisbane Lions beat Sydney Swans.

Beirut bombings kicking off the month,

Penrith scores their big four,

More protests in the city, mercy flights from Lebanon,

Hurricanes in the US, an attempt once again on Donnie,

George Negus, Liam Payne, both of them passed away,

Accident at the Harbor Bridge, Yahya Sinwar, rot in pieces,

King and Queen in Australia, Netanyahu’s house bombed by Hezbollah,

Lidia Thorpe attention-seeking, another train strike on the cards,

Terror in Turkiye, Queensland gets a new leader,

Qantas is in trouble, Alan Joyce, WHERE YOU AT!?

Knight’s Choice wins the Melbourne Cup, and the winner is Donald Trump,

Cue the jokes of US migrants, UK, Canada, here they come,

Soccer brawl in Amsterdam, Claire Nowland inquest,

Bondi stabbing inquest, Indonesia once again volcanic,

Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, Alan Joyce is in trouble,

Ukraine fires at Russia, retaliation is inevitable,

Sydney train strikes averted, methanol poisoning up in Laos,

Bali Nine going home, ain’t nobody saw that coming,

Kristian White found guilty, Lidia Thorpe suspended,

Social media age limits, will work or will it bust?

Queen Camila’s health woes, Woolies strike in Melbourne,

South Korea, martial law, at the last minute called off,

Earthquake in San Francisco, Synagogue bombed in Melbourne,

Anger, disbelief and outrage, absent once again is Albo,

Notre Dame reopens, Al-Assad overthrown,

Brian Thompson murdered, Luigi Mangione behind the gun,

Daniel Penny not guilty, BLM took it badly,

Lindt Café Siege in the city, it’s been ten years already,

Bali Nine brought back home, alcohol poisoning in Fiji,

Earthquake in Vanuatu, Alan Joyce in bigger barney,

Trains messed in Sydney, ‘tis not the season for this bullshit,

Christmas market chaos in Germany, perp better be dealt with good and proper,

Blake VS Justin, 50 years since Tracy,

Ran roughshod over Darwin, worst Christmas in Aussie history,

More bushfires in Victoria, Sydney to Hobart tragedy,

LawConnect wins the race, Azerbaijan plane crash,

Donnie done backflipped, Tik Tok got the go-ahead,

No ban just yet, negotiations in its place instead,

Plane crash in South Korea, RIP, President Carter,

Russia and Ukraine still at war, Hamas and Israel still got beef,

Another year come to pass, is there an end to all this shit!?

Quietly thinking, reflecting, taking a break from the beaten path,

Yesterday seemed like different times, how did it all go so fast?

Once was a few hours from daybreak, late in life’s third decade,

Now fast-approaching the fourth, things will never be like before,

Midlife crisis can wait, yet feeling weathered and beaten like an artefact from eons passed, those fresh peepers blurring fast, what’s here today goes by in a flash,

Seen and done too many already, what more lies in wait? First-times are dwindling, they don’t come as easily,

Never too old to add to the toolbox, keep expanding that mind,

Stay young forever, but there’s no stopping Father Time,

Gone are the early days, feeling wild and carefree,

Overtaken by responsibility, fun and games are over, gotta grind now ‘til you’re R.I.P,

And what of that elusive other? Should’ve crossed paths already,

Might have met long ago, maybe you went different directions, perhaps it’s not to be, God and the universe have spoken,

But the script can make adjustments, expect the unexpected,

Just have to keep at it, keep those eyes open,

Remember the child inside, let ‘em out now and then, ain’t no crime to play and have fun, life was never meant to be dull as fuck,

Just a moment of reflection, nothing more nothing less,

Sometimes sun, sometimes rain, moments of despair, but overall, hoping for the best.

Girl, I know you miss your boo, trust that he’s watching over you,

Sometimes life is so unfair and this time it came for you,

Searching for so long, on your own for too long,

One dud after another, some worse than others, seemed like the universe was clowning,

Then he popped up from out the blue, swept you off your feet, like in them romance books,

Ticked every box inside out, from his character to his charm, to his interests, in addition to good looks,

But beneath the surface a silent killer lurked, a ticker problem, probably genetic, only Lord knows if or when it would go berserk,

That’s what he said, but promised you needn’t worry and to just enjoy the present,

Take it day by day, no need to feel dismayed, in the end all will be ok.

‘Til one day when it wasn’t, the beast within struck,

Claimed him just like that, y’all were together just a few months, surely it wasn’t long enough,

Talked about a happily ever after during that span, a life as man and wife planned,

Exchanging rings and ‘I do’s’, living on a farm, a simple life, raising a kid or two,

Then fate intervened, brutally snatched your other half,

Your reaction visceral but expected, praying and screaming out loud like an animal wounded,

Your tears flow ceaselessly, enough to raise ocean levels,

Gestures and words of comfort seemingly unnoticed in the throes of grief and mourning,

They say there’s someone for everyone, you found him, in that regard you’re a lucky one,

Better to have loved and lost, as the saying goes, perhaps a silver lining if ever there was one,

Farewelled him in style, the ceremony befitting one as beautiful as he, but the funeral starts once it’s over, what to do with all this grief?

You say you’d peaked, that life will never be better, no more fairytales, it’s over, you had it, now it’s gone forever,

He’s up there in the clouds waiting patiently before you join him for eternity, but for now do try to get on, trying though it may be, it’s what he would have wanted, for you to live happy and stress-free,

Up to you whether or not you open up to another, some unions remain unbroken even unto death,

But his story and legacy, now they are yours to tell,

Be his historian, keep his memory alive, a love like yours can and should be shared,

If nothing else consider it a form of healing, never know how many lives you’ll be touching,

For now take your time, it’s a marathon and not a race, life is what you make it, continue to fill that album, know that you were loved, carry it with you, he’s watching from up above.

Another day over, wish it never happened,

Been this way for a while now, sick and tired of it all now,

Haven’t yet reached teens, four Christmases, still, before sweet 16,

Barely out the starting blocks, or so it would seem,

Should have had hopes and dreams like all others still precocious and keen,

But the ride been bumpy for too long, just want to get the hell off, reassurances go unheard, drowned out by the strange and absurd,

And so it happened, another one left the building,

Nothing short of tragic, bet they never saw it coming.

Never a good day when another commits to that permanent solution,

Doubly so when victims are mere children, too early in the day to be kicking buckets,

Hard for one to judge, no clue what they’d been through,

Some may see the proverbial light while demons got others in a vice,

In this case, reminded once again of the destructive nature of others,

No pain like friends turned into enemies, dangerous creatures they can be, for they know you most intimately,

Taunting, hazing, deliberate malicious contact, spreading rumors on campus and online, nowhere to hide when they attack,

Teachers won’t do shit, parents can only do so much, feeling lost and confused, unseen and unheard, anxiety takes over, why go on further?

That final act got ‘em scrambling and panicking, regurgitating excuses,

Never meant no harm, just having fun, if they’d known they would have stopped,

But is it harmless fun, bringing another down? Getting high at another’s expense? Scarring ‘em and shoving ‘em beyond that proverbial edge?

Then there’s fake friends just along for the ride, jumping ship to the other side, taunting, hitting and spreading lies, such betrayal an insidious crime,

Now they’ve done an about-face, overwhelmed by guilt, too late to show remorse, ‘sorry’ is an empty word,

Speaking of her now in reverent tones, only after she’s long gone,

Could have told her this before, their dark hearts have been exposed,

Are you still having fun? Are you all happy now?

You got your kicks while she paid for it, were the cheap thrills even worth it?

To the departed, fly high in the sky,

Free as a bird now, too pure for this life,

The pain may remain unhealed, but your loved ones will carry on,

They’ll ensure that your essence shines on,

Eternal torment to the perps and culprits, death’s no laughing matter now, isn’t it?

Save your tears, crocs are better actors, can’t turn back the clock, suck it up and live with it,

Good luck washing away the guilt and shame clinging to you like a great big stink,

Nowhere to hide once put under the spotlight, collectively y’all took an innocent life.

It was the best of times, those first ten trips ‘round the sun,

They say perfection’s non-existent but this sure was a close one,

Yours was charmed to say the least, you’d surely won the lottery,

Spared from life’s miseries, all was fine and dandy, mostly,

Roof overhead, food on the table, clothes on your back, you had all that,

Playtime, gaming and cartoons outside of school, had you a chest full of toys, felt luckier than other boys, you were that dude,

Books by the ton, messing about with your homies, trips to Wonderland, interstate then overseas, Disneyland during early teens,

Those prime years, eighth, ninth and tenth, the definition of carefree, keeping your room clean and your grades pristine seemed your only responsibilities,

Thank God Mom and Pops cared, went out their way to raise you good and proper,

As a lad you wouldn’t have known but it wasn’t easy keeping the foundations strong,

Now that you’re full grown you learn the truth all along, the good life born out of love from your grown folks,

They say one only wants what’s best for their little ones, give ‘em what they never had coming up,

Yours kept you out of Struggle Street, from all forms of trouble and corruption, moved you to a land of opportunities, to a life idyllic and hassle-free,

Though they played around with ya, when they weren’t keeping you in line, surely life’s stresses were never far, dawdling in the backs of their minds,

They, too, shared the good times, looking back, also, with a shared fondness,

But while you got the lion’s share, they enjoyed only half or less,

Couldn’t have asked for better, really, you gotta hand it to ‘em,

Should the day come that you don their boots, hopefully, you’ll do your best, too,

So you best keep ‘em in your prayers, walk with ‘em during their sunset, surely their sacrifices were worth it,

You’d been blessed many times over, Boy, gotta pay it forward.

Another victory, another conquest, they’re calling you the best of the best,

Feeling untouchable, invincible, no one’s knocking you off of your pedestal,

Pushed yourself day by day, paid your dues and kept your peers at bay,

Surveying your kingdom, sitting pretty atop the exceptional and gifted,

Better bask in your glory now, it’s all temporary,

Nothing lasts forever, you acquire losses, eventually,

The standouts aren’t immune, sooner or later your hallmarks to greatness wither away and fade,

No ifs or buts about it, Father Time gives but also takes,

Then there’s your competition, you fended off the majority, now here comes the next wave, passing the bar you’d set previously,

You push and you push, trying to stay ahead like before,

For a while you hold your own, before they shift into another gear, leaving you in the dust, just as you’d feared,

You’d already reached your ceiling, it’s built solid, for you unpassable,

They’re leaping over it, no shame in it, there’s always someone better,

Doesn’t diminish from your legacy, without it there are no standards to be passed,

You set the bar, earned their respect, sit back and relax,

But here’s another fact, the torch must be passed,

No one holds onto it forever, only ‘til another comes along,

Look to the mirror, that’s your competition, forget about the others,

In the end it’s you against you, their admiration are merely byproducts,

Go as far as you can, do your best for yourself,

No such thing as better than the rest, who wants that type of pressure on themselves?

Lift ain’t no race, certainly not one based on comparisons,

Leave that to the birds while you build your own kingdom.

Down to the last few weeks, tenth grade drawing to a close,

Not quite the end of the road, still a couple of years before the final boss,

Nevertheless, junior high’s ending, formal just around the corner, final exams beckoning, prior to graduation,

PE Class on a head-start, a test of life-saving skills at the local pool,

Two days of drills, everyone had a go, an afternoon pool party was the reward,

For teachers and students alike, for a brief period they were equals, some splashed about, others baking under the sun,

In the midst of it all, Brett and his camera did the rounds,

Taking a few snaps, Lord knows what for, yearbooks done and dusted by now, but only the committee know anyhow,

Asked some to smile and pose, quite liberal with the candids,

God help ya if you’re acting out, guaranteed he’ll capture that shit,

Finally met his quota for the day, Brett puts his toy away to hang with his mates,

They stood by the pool, a decision Brett would come to rue,

Maxie Wilkins splits from his tribe, they were camped near a fence

He’s heading for the facilities, had to use the gent’s,

Upon exiting he trudges back towards his homies, but from the corner of his eye catches an opportunity for mischief,

Spots Brett by the pool, chopping with his boys, with a glint in his eye charges at ‘em like a runaway horse,

Beelines for the target, shoves him into the drink,

He was quick as lightning, the victim barely had time to think,

Embarrassed but unbowed, fuelled by vengeance and rage,

Brett springs from out the water, sprints towards his attacker, that fool gotta pay,

Takes a spill along the way, skins his leg but barely noticed it, nor the laughter from his fellow pupils,

Took Maxie unawares, talk about returning the favour, on the grass they tussle, limbs flying in all directions,

Quick as a flash they’re the centre of attention, the jock against the geek,

“Fight! Fight! Fight!” they’re screaming, like the audience from some talk show on TV,

The brawl is on before the teacher’s intervention, demanded an explanation, Brett fired up without hesitation,

“He pushed me in the pool in all me clothes!” said he, resisting the urge to curse,

“It was just a joke,” retorted the other, “didn’t mean to hurt him!”

Teacher wasn’t buying it, heretofore combatants ordered simply to keep their distance, their last taste of leniency before exams come knocking,

Off Maxie goes to rejoin his crew, laughs and high fives all around, while Brett finds his boys, soaked but strangely proud,

Blood ran freely down his leg, his uniform’s a mess, yet he gallantly fought back, had to be proud of that.

Benny never was the flyest kid on the block,

Never the king of the kids, grades all over the shop,

‘Nerd,’ ‘geek’, ‘dweeb’, he’d heard ‘em all, branded every title suggesting weirdness and withdrawal,

Teacher was a decent sort, though that patience sometimes ran short,

Turned into a banshee rather quickly when her tribe be yapping like parrots atop a tree,

Now and then handed gifts to they who pulled their weight,

Worked hard and played fair, kind to all and made the grade,

Benny never cared, his sole objective was to survive,

So you could imagine his surprise, one time, he was announced the winner of the prize,

Felt great to be on top, to the victor goes the spoils,

The underdog crowned the king, his peers his loyal subjects, gotta do as he pleased,

But the moment was short-lived, reality an unwanted intruder,

The home bell sounds and they’re onto him like vultures,

Sore losers and intimidators joining forces demanding and threatening that he hand it over, even though he’d won it no problem,

Voices from all directions got him feeling trapped and frustrated,

Fuck the lot of them, fuck being the winner, turned out to be a curse than a blessing,

Off he marches to teacher, relinquishes the crown,

‘I don’t deserve this,’ says he, she needn’t question him any further,

Takes it back, dismissed the class, can’t condone actions nothing short of crass,

Much to their dismay, moaning and groaning all around,

Just desserts served, bullying can never be rewarded, they denied him of his moment, now they’re paying for it,

And so Benny slinks away, head bowed, thank God it’s a Friday,

It was a bitter blow but the weekend awaits, he lives to fight another day.

If you want it, go and get it, come hell or high water,

You’ll walk through fire for it, fight for it and whatever,

Heard it all before, motivational talk spewed to and fro,

Coming in handy for missions of all sorts, for crusades or when shooting for impossible goals,

They say only the persistent are rewarded, quitters never win,

But how much must one take before they’re permitted to pack it in?

They are lionized and admired, those who defy the odds,

But what of they who walk away, minds changed then switching lanes?

Do they get props for changing course or are they quitters only deserving scorn?

Sure, hard work pays off, the spoils go to those that work their asses off,

But what if you get more than you bargained for? Found out it wasn’t worth the struggle? Prompting a change in course to a destination less glamorous?

No telling what’s on the other side, gut instincts could save your life,

Perhaps backing out is warranted, but when is the proper time for it?

Half full, half empty, is the sun shining or darkness halted?

Given the state of the world today, you wonder how one can act like all’s ok?

Gotta keep it real and see it all for how it is, unlike those grinning ear to ear living in dreams,

But why keep your eyes trained to the grey and gloom? On a constant lookout for impending doom?

To the common eye seems a waste of time, living scared than in the prime of life,

They say they who peer through the proverbial shades tinted rose-colored to match their cheery disposition have a higher chance of getting more out of life, of smashing goals left and right,

Leave a lasting legacy that traverses through time, leave their counterparts floundering, unfulfilled, screaming into the night,

But that’s a myth, they, too, can build kingdoms, all while travelling unfiltered,

Understanding it ain’t all sunshine and rainbows and acknowledging the darkness, embracing what is than trying to paint it a different color,

Doesn’t make them the lesser among us, such a suggestion makes one self-righteous,

Some walk on sunshine while others are content to dance in the storm.

They say loneliness kills, innocuous but deadly,

Likewise they say to be wary, far too many carry hidden levels of toxicity,

There’s someone for everyone, up to us to find ‘em, that someone to build a life with, grow old and prosper with,

But get with the wrong one, that shit’s a death wish, hard to tell friend from foe, makes you wonder why try at all,

Their handiwork insidious, covert at first before bursting to the surface,

The damage irrevocable, often leading to dire and desperate consequences,

No wonder many go their own way, romance is dead, bright and clear as day,

Nothing wrong with travelling on your lonesome, but what of the other option,

The journey gets lonely, might be nice to have some company, to help with day to day living, the teamwork so gratifying,

Provided that love, trust and respect remains intact, such is the case, for the most part,

You need not read them only in stories, look around, it’s possible in reality,

Take your time and find one that you vibe with, never know what might unfold,

Can’t dump all in the same box, to do so suggests the whole race is lost,

Sadly, the mask drops when least expected, villains in disguise win, the innocent left the victims, broken and picking up the pieces.