“ To do a thing young is a shortcut to greatness. Everything you do right is evidence of your great potential, and all your mistakes are the mistakes of inexperience, which will be corrected, surely, by the passing of time. To write a poor sentence at the age of nineteen is expected (and quickly forgiven). To write a poor sentence at the age of forty-five—shouldn’t you know better by now?”

https://open.substack.com/pub/tolstoyan?utm_source=mentions

-/-/-

now of an age when the word
decrepit
takes on an ironical extra lively meaning,
and critique mine own progeny
(feet, fingers toes & nose)
thru a bitter screening of
et tu?

thru this wizened skepticism,
acting as a great filtration
filigree of straining,
so many newlywed issues
never see the light of night,
by early dawn’s demise,
they gone, discarded

<•>
do the thing
step into the crevice
neath the wrath of the
precipice

be great
by your own definition
start the ignition
and energize the engine
add oil & gas
the spark plugs of youth
will get you to the next
stop or testing station

Whittling the point
paring it down
cutting the volume
honing the sound

Sharpening each line
words drop and fall
meaning to thunder
— lightning recalled

(Dreamsleep: February, 2025)

We built our friendship piece by piece,
with laughter and late-night talks,
but, I never thought we'd reach the day
when our shared path just...stopped.

I remember the good days and the bad,
a shoulder was always there to lean on,
I thought we'd be two crazy friends
growing up and still going strong.

I remember how we used to plan
our lives, growing old and grey.
It is funny how our future dreams
just sort of slipped away.

I've tried my best to fix the broken bits,
and to patch up what came undone,
but some things, once they've changed too much,
can't be joined back together as one.

And yes, it hurts like hell sometimes
to know we've drifted apart and stalled;
But, I wouldn't trade those memories,
not for anything at all.

So here's the truth, plain and simple,
as I let these words go free,
I hope you find what you've been chasing,
and that you are where you are meant to be.

I hope that your days are kind and gentle,
and that all of your dreams will come alive;
And although we're on different paths now,
I hope that you will still continue to thrive.

©️Lizzie Bevis