What did I do with it;
what was handed to me without my request,
but a discovery to bring myself to bare; to
perform or be anonymous, a fearful animal;
but first I needed to be fed

What did I do with it;
what was given to me by my demands or else
I would never silence the stark selfishness of
my needs, yes to be angry because I was birthed
without permission, so  tend to me now

What did I do with it;
it was at this point that my life was fully in order;
I was never late, never a disappointment though I
could annoy a dog; a baby; an easy life, I was loved

What did I do with it;
a disturbance, I was to wait my turn, another
baby with the same rapport with my creator;
another outrage, within my soul I learned that
nothing happened with my permission

What did I do with it;
I said a word, then walked with it alongside a
window; looking out, the fact that poor people
existed or that my dog wouldn’t live forever was
not in the picture I thought was real

What did I do with it;
the sound of black bean mambo; no green egg  
could undo what was cooking in the living room  
as the dancing man was too happy to concern
himself with the  loss of his country

What did I do with it;
how can you lose something so vital; to have
in your own image the worlds fears and anger;
the migration of  the heart followed by feet that
only moved to a poor man’s trumpet?

What did I do with it;
you can’t live in someone else’s past; the same
blood flows but the stones move the water in
different directions; every river goes its own
way no matter the headwaters

What did I do with it;
learning to be a part of the world; not to watch
as the sand does wondering how it will be moved
today; but instead to push my  way forward, and
even in retreat knowing I will return

What did I do with it;
loving freely, easily; learning my lessons, as only
love can teach; making promises that failed to
germinate; hearing promises that one day realized
it was a river too

What did I do with it;
a chilly night, a young man, wanting to believe;
he did; but not the way he was taught; whether
faith or grace, it was for him alone to decide; for
what miracle to believe must he choose?

What did I do with it;
the world has now become a game for those
who wish to play; for others a curse; life, all
it’s dreams, in the face of a beautiful girl; yet
even she cries alone for love that did not last

What did I do with it;
it became a plan, to be an adult, for that is what
the baby needed; he never knew that he would
need love as before but it brushed past him while
he held his children’s future tightly

What did I do with it;
time, a commodity that cannot be sold; only taken
for granted; I saw love glance at me from the ship
passing while I washed ashore; the tide never letting
go, the moon all I will ever know