That time of year again, marching towards the final hour,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Better grab that pen and paper, time to write a new chapter,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Will we finally stick to resolutions? That remains to be\nseen,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A world without covid as of now remains a pipe dream,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Held onto it this time last year, greeted 2021 beaming,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few hiccups here and there but the dream looked close to\nhappening, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then came mid-winter, d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu huffed,\npuffed and blew,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One man\u2019s error was all it took, society\nthrown back into the loop,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back to lockdown for the masses, way to\ntake several steps backwards,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ghosts of 2020 came to roost, peep\n\u2018em in the streets and check out the news,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Riots still hot this season, the far-right\npicking up from the far-left at the Capitol,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Left wing, right wing, the same bird is\nflappin\u2019 \u2018em, never underestimate the violence from the gullible and ignorant,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Folks still hating over differences in\nappearances and opinions, adults young and old behaving like spoiled children,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beyond the residue of 2020, this year was\na trip, there was good, there was bad and plenty of ugly for good measure,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tokyo belatedly took the stage, finally\nstaged the Olympic games,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Divisions and bickering put on hold,\nhands held all around the globe,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chaos in Afghanistan, overtaken by the\nTaliban, citizens risked death on the runway, must be more appealing than\ntyranny anyway,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tragedy on a film set, that gun wasn\u2019t\nsupposed to be hot, something fishy going on, raising more questions than not,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Justice for George Floyd and Ahmaud\nArbery, finally, hope it was worth two years of chaos, looting, race-baiting\nand hypocrisy, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sleep-deprived slithering into\nschools and acting the fool, how the fuck are y\u2019all downplaying child-fiddling\nand abuse?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And on the subject of abuse, how \u2018bout\nthem pollies, rich folks and powerbrokers? Their sins and debauchery put front\nand centre, way to misuse their positions and power, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Media playing fire starter and\nprovocateur, some things just won\u2019t change,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But something \u2018bout the general population\nain\u2019t right nowadays,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t know how to describe it, like\nAnimal Farm come to life,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Four legs good, two legs bad, better fall\nin line \u2018lest you be ostracized,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Different sets of rules for the masses, all\nof \u2018em dogmatic, better pick your position or they\u2019ll drag you from the fence\non which you\u2019re sitting,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most popular dictated by the rich and\nfamous, attention-seekers thinking they got a license to influence,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Failure to bend or take a knee will cost\nyou plenty, if not your life then certainly your credibility,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Get ready for the accusations; racist,\nnarcissist, prejudiced, phobic, hate-mongering or a coward,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A free-thinking individual\u2019s a dangerous\nanimal, the fuckin\u2019 sheep making connections between the pot and kettle, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s two sides or more to every\nargument or opinion, every lifestyle and belief system,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ain\u2019t nobody alive is all-seeing or\nall-knowing, open minds reap the rewards above the blinded,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
School bully tactics still en vogue, a\nworld where teamwork reigned would be dope,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As time goes by and life gets easier,\nseems like toughness and grit is put on the backburner,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Folks destroyed when challenged or met\nwith resistance, is this a by-product of progress?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still a jungle out there, every other\nweekend\u2019s a protest,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That mid-year lockdown got \u2018em hot and\nbothered, triggering beef between two factions,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vaxxed VS Unvaxxed, the sheep against the\nquacks as they call one another, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just a little note, swerving the poke\ndon\u2019t mean they think that all vaccines are a joke,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But mandates seem an overreaction, how\ndare they jeopardise our freedom,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s a free country in case you need\nreminding, let \u2018em be responsible for their decisions,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To vax or not vax, both entail risks,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The damn Astra not the magical elixir as\nhyped, poisonous to the vulnerable type,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pfizer ain\u2019t much better, teenage hearts\nbe swelling, not in a good way, either, myocarditis ain\u2019t no laughing matter,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But playing rebel gonna leave you an open\ntarget, natural immunity may serve and protect, but mutinies are a possibility\none mustn\u2019t forget,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fortunately it\u2019s more hits than misses\nwith the former, a return to normalcy\u2019s around the corner,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just in time for this new variant, now\nthey\u2019re pushing us to a third fucking helping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your boy right here began the year\ncautiously optimistic,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Isolated since 2020 thanks to a\ncompromised immunity,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three years since initial diagnosis but no\ncrying over spilt milk,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kinda sucks to be cut off, though, even\nfor an introverted kid,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sailed \u2018round the Hawksbury, took nature\nwalks beyond the city,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keeping it local for now, got a big\nenough backyard anyhow,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mass vaccination the plan to reach the Promised Land, but\nthere\u2019s reluctance even among the willing, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Long-term effects still unproven,\nas are what the solutions are harboring,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Found out soon enough, side-effects done reared their ugly\nheads,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the most part pesky as hell, but for some the outcome\nwas death,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then they were talkin\u2019 about forcin\u2019 people to get it,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Freedoms and livelihoods evaporated should one dare to defy\nit,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hence the aforementioned protests run by the bored and\ndisgruntled,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mass crowding prompting new waves brewing, get caught in the\nrip you could end up a statistic,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chronic conditions diluting temptations to take unwise\nchances,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grudging obedience obliterated plans for utter defiance,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Booked in for September, two doses spread over three weeks,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No nasty surprises after the first one, the second brought\nabout soreness, headache and fatigue,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gotta take it easy, still, for the sake of the vulnerable\nand non-compliant,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Personal desires put on hold, don\u2019t want to be conscripted\nas a carrier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That aside travelled down south to watch youngest cousin get\nhitched,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ten-hour drive to and from, beautiful ceremony definitely\nworth the trip,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Good music, regular breaks and laughs ensured the journey\nwas smooth,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Family catch-ups sure to brighten the gloomiest of moods,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Fessed up to Mom and Pops all my life\u2019s ambitions, what\u2019s\nworth fightin\u2019 for and sacrificing,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though nothing\u2019s set in stone, only fools shut off\nopportunities for growth,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We weren\u2019t meant to run in place, change can hurt but gotta\nembrace it,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like a great man preached, the real ones flow effortlessly like\nwater,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s my life, which way it goes is solely my\nresponsibility,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No need to trip, I\u2019ll get there eventually, don\u2019t matter the\npace, I\u2019m in no hurry,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gonna hit that milestone in early 2022, it\u2019s been four years\nin the making,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ambition been simmering since the nineteenth trip \u2018round the\nsun, better be worth the false starts since day one,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gonna get there or die trying, \u2018til the wheels fall off,\n\u2018til I\u2019m six feet under or cremated,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No longer a kid but not ready for retirement, gonna be more\npages to be written.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A note to you readers, been through the wringer over the\npast two years,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Strength and will seared, looking ahead through the lens of\ncynicism and fear,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So much for the new \u2018Roaring twenties\u2019, expectations\nderailed in a hurry, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Plans scrapped and livelihoods threatened, families and\nfriends separated,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Loved ones taken too soon and young ones needlessly\norphaned, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dark forces at work wreaking havoc, patience and resistance\nslowly falter,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hard times corrode the masks that concealed peoples\u2019 true\ncolours,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exposing the altruistic and pathetic, the creative and the\nrudderless,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hate-filled hurting, plundering and killing their own\nbrothers and sisters,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blaming Ill-feelings and misguided beliefs as reasons for\negregious actions? Schoolkids under ten conjure far better excuses,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are one and the same, every colour, culture, lifestyle\nand creed,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s a God damn fact, everyone\u2019s life fucking matters,\nabout damn time we moved forward and act like it,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dare to resist popular opinion could see you cancelled, have\nwe returned to the days of Hitler or Stalin?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sleep-deprived endorsing free speech is nothing short of\nhypocritical,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Respect is earned and not demanded, won\u2019t get none if you\nwon\u2019t give none,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Feelings hurt over counter-arguments surely won\u2019t win you\nmany admirers,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They laugh at your pettiness and immaturity, at the\nspectacle you make of yourself,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seeking reasons to be triggered, talk about a wretched\nexistence,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gotta believe that good still outweighs the bad, though,\notherwise life won\u2019t be worth living,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s no easy feat, but better than dwelling in the land of\nthe weak and defeated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though it\u2019s easier said than done, though such advice may\nsound hollow depending on the source,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep that chin up and carry on, something to remember when\nyou\u2019ve lost all hope,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Took shells from all directions but damn it you\u2019re still\nstanding, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Luck ain\u2019t had nothing to do with it, don\u2019t underestimate\nthe strength you\u2019re imbued with,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The days are ticking by, can\u2019t get it back once it\u2019s gone, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Use \u2018em as you please, but here\u2019s a little something to\nreflect on,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wasting time is simple, do nothing and remain stagnant,\nbefore you know it one too many has passed and you\u2019re old, unfulfilled and kicking\nyour own ass,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You deserve much better, but you still gotta earn it, ain\u2019t\nnobody gonna hand it to you willingly on a silver platter,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Think of what drives you and gets that blood pumping every\nmorning,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If it scares you some then that\u2019s even better, don\u2019t give in\nto that inner voice scaring you into inaction,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fight like hell for what you want, never surrender and give\nit all you\u2019ve got, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fuck the haters and doubters, why be held hostage by the\nopinions of others?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take it one step at a time and go at your own pace, let the\ndream guide your way,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Might take some soul searching to find your place but you\u2019ve\ngotta keep at it, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re all pieces in the puzzle scattered, some just happen\nto be lying unseen in the corner,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sooner or later you\u2019ll be found, march on no matter the\nodds,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2021 is history, 2022 inching closer and closer,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The past is gone and no telling what the future holds, nonetheless\ngonna march on forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
That time of year again, marching towards the final hour, Better grab that pen and paper, time to write a new chapter, Will we finally stick to resolutions? That remains to be seen, A world without covid as of now remains a pipe dream, Held onto it this time last year, greeted 2021 beaming, A … <\/p>\n