Let It Bern

See her every morning, pruning flowers out front,

Heads out back to repeat the task, takes a big gulp from her flask,

Recently-retired, living it out on her lonesome,

Save for occasional visits from grown little ones, their tiny tots call her ‘Nan’, melting hearts like only grandkids can,

Had to do it the hard way, got here mostly on her own,

Paid the bills, raised the kids, worked hard and maintained the home,

Love for family powered her along after the greatest loss of all, fate hadn’t been so kind, he’s out of sight but never out of mind,

They’d met long ago, love was instantaneous,

Dated, married, had a few kiddos, before he fell to a wretched virus,

And so she stepped up, put the young ones through college,

Was with ‘em through every step, lord knows how much willpower she possessed,

Worked her fingers to the bone until retirement age, yeah she did all that,

It was perilous and messy but she came through all that,

All the while they asked if she’d ever find another, always she deployed the usual answer,

“Not a chance, I’ve had my happy ending, though he’s gone our union’s everlasting,”

She’d surely found the one, he could never be replaced,

Now she walks on until the day when they’re reconnected beyond time and space.

Another one bites the dust, never went beyond the second date,

Let alone first base, try as he might he only sees her face,

Been a few years since fate had the final say, she was mowed down on that day by a fool behind the wheel totally off his face,

They should’ve exchanged vows, it’ll never happen now,

He’s tried to find another since, it wasn’t supposed to be like this,

He’d found his happily ever after, no one can compare to her,

‘Plenty of fish,’ they say, ‘you’ll surely find another,’

But they don’t know he’d found the one, she can never be replaced,

Becomes apparent with every failed date, a solo life might be his fate.

They say there’s someone for everyone, if you’re lucky you’ll meet ‘em before 21,

Exchange vows then grow old together, create a lifetime of memories and adventures,

But the grim reaper remains unbeaten, never know when it comes knocking,

Some move on and find another, but others ain’t checking for a replacement,

Love of one’s life, the one true love, you’ve heard the clichés, it’s not every day they come around,

Time can’t diminish their significance, no one can replicate their presence,

And so they carry on faithfully until they reunite somewhere on the other side,

Better to have loved than lost, for many it’s no fucking lie.  

Another trip ‘round the sun, a new decade opening up,

On goes the calendar, midlife crisis in the distance,

Drifting further from that age of innocence, ‘twas a whole different period,

Various holidays, mishaps, tears and laughs,

Hijinks in and out the classroom, hanging with pals,

Teens and early adulthood, too, well in the rearview,

Been twenty years or longer, feels like I’ve been circumnavigating like Magellan,

Flicking through albums, milestones captured from the road traveled,

Pictures prove their occurrence but did they really happen?

At times feels like a dream, time and dates seem hazy,

Mind and heart says yes, every detail recalled perfectly,

So many miles accrued, though, easy to second-guess,

It must come with the territory, been a long and winding journey,

The clock and hourglass can be ruthless, that which controls all can rebel,

Memories stored then wiped, making strangers out of friends and foes alike,

Pulling out all stops to prevent such a fate,

Can’t have the final say but better than growing lazy and stale,

Gotta leave more and more behind, such is the paradox of life,

Years gained and steps taken forward, but in the process must accept profound losses,

It is what it is, gotta keep plugging on,

See where the road takes us, hopefully we’ll have it won.

Villified, crucified, labelled and ostracized,

You hear about ‘em now and then, would never want to share space with them,

‘Lest you catch something nasty or five, won’t be caught dead joining the hive, no point giving them your attention, save it for the ones that matter,

Once were civilians dissatisfied, wanting to get more out of life,

OF seemed their savior, their content making ‘em richer and richer,

Gotta stay ahead the pack, naughty pics can only take ‘em far,

Take it to extremes, the type of snuff that’d make The Pope weep,

One on one might not be enough, crank it on the up and up,

Two, three, four or five to play with? Why not take it to the hundreds and thousands?

Lily, Bonnie and their peers, what they do might be sick,

But what of all these dudes that play? All these enablers and super simps?

Can’t condone what they do, call it the height of degeneracy,

Ain’t no going back from this, it’ll haunt them for eternity,

Doing it for the bag, easy money and grounds to brag, they’re rolling in millions instead of rags, despite being branded slags,

Hate it or love it they’re out there hustling, you have the right to switch off and ignore ‘em,

You see ‘em putting out challenges, begging for participants,

100 losers, maybe 1,000, doesn’t matter if they’re married or minor,

Shoot their goals if you want but save some ammo for the fools they’re baiting,

Any sane, respectable mind would keep on walking, carry on their business,

So much to do and see, no time for these shenanigans,

Contrast with those that accept, the simps and the desperate, some already paired with another, slipping further and further down the gutter.

Surprise surprise, records broken and achieved,

Mission accomplished, R-I-P to pride and dignity,

Nothing to cry about, they gave it up for clout, they have nothing more to lose, but to the fellas it’s nothing but bad news,

You added to the degradation of society, how empty must your life be to partake in this filth so flippantly?

And to those with rings on their fingers, are y’all fucking serious?

Why betray your missus for glorified harlots? Now you’d sunk the dagger in her, was the cheap thrill even worth it?

If you’d done it for experience and cred, sadly the opposite happened, heads shake at the mention of your name, you’re just another body on her record,

Or maybe you were dying to meet your idol, probably dreamed of a happily ever after,

Sorry to break it to ya, she’ll never be into ya, just wanted to use ya to set some useless record,

Bottom line, you boys ain’t immune from scorn, if anything you deserve it more,

They had their own twisted reasons, but you’re the fools that helped make them famous.

So there it is, self-sabotage for social media clout,

Hundreds, thousands of trains through tunnels, might as well had made a deal with the devil,

And to the participants, look elsewhere if you want to be applauded,

Had your ride on the village bike? Good job, Fool, way to be productive,

Better keep an eye open for any of them symptoms, even if you’d worn ‘protection’, you may need to get tested, no telling what they could be carrying,

And so their shit show rolls on, more content posted for the lonely,

Not something to tell the kiddies, if they even have any,

So continues the fall of man, but perhaps talks of doom are misguided,

Many call out the debauchery, sane minds exist, still, among the lunacy.

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.