The buds of misfortune
 

I came into this world alone and I will

leave it alone, and in between, I will take

Whatever life throws at me and do my

Best to lighten the load of others less

Fortunate than I.

Yes, misfortune has come my way but

I stood up to it and in time things got

Better sometimes only slightly, but

Enough to make a difference shedding

A little more light on the road ahead.

I have no agenda and I ask for nothing,

Complaining is not something I do, that

I leave to others better qualified than I.

We live in an imperfect world, so why

In God’s name would I seek perfection?

A kerbstone, a trip, a grazed elbow and

Jaw, broke my fingers and thumb, tried

To cushion the fall. No, God didn’t do

It, there’s no evil intent, it was my fault

Entirely, I’ve got eyes in my head.

I should’ve been looking, should’ve seen

What’s ahead, a crack in a kerbstone, it

Happens I guess. A bit like the time I

Slipped off a train, my attention diverted,

She laughed and she waved.

The buds of misfortune are all ours to

Prune, keep ‘em short, do not water,

Avoid letting ‘em bloom. An all year

Round effort, secateurs razor sharp,

Don’t wait for dead heads, nip ‘em off,

Cut back hard.

The signpost that points to enhancing

Life’s worth, passes you through Upper

Conscience and Staying Alert. Alert to

The pitfalls on a long winding track,

Watch out for the kerbstones, some are

New, some are cracked.

© Joseph G Dawson
03/09/2019