They were always
ahead of me
but somehow
theirs was not the victory

on past knowledge
they relied-- blindly
and were not aware
I'd since changed my strategy

H   Hold on

O  Open to possibilities

P   Partner it

E    Engage with it

Upper class
middle class
low class

measured
by wealth
inheritance
education?

I'm a humanist
hence
humanity is my class

no distinction
do I trust

Life's inevitability-
old age
I accept
I don't rage

others are upset
they debate-
with beauty and wonders
I engage

time is tyrannical
often it does berate
I look askance
the day I celebrate


aside I've willingly set
every grievance and regret -
when the final chime strikes
I'll ready to embark on the passage

The mind proposes
the heart opposes

Imagination
is either constructive
or arid
but many
can't distinguish -
deeper they sink
into its labyrinth
and are unconscious
their pursuit is sterile
and unproductive

it's hard
and often impossible
to step back
or retrieve

yet they cling on-
so strong
is their attachment
and belief

I can't write
like Keats or Shakespeare
a simple note, there and here
will adequately endear-

I can't sing like Luciano
Carreras or Domingo
' Happy birthday' and ' Home, sweet home'
will make my heart glow-

I can't climb Mount Everest
nor sail the wildest sea
but I can take part in a 5 mile walk
it will make me really happy-

I can't be like
Napoleon or Genghis Khan
but my duty I shirk not
my best is yet to be done!