The things I should have said in the past,
I didn't know how to say.
The things I want to say right now,
Constantly eat away
At inculcated inhibitions, which
Stifle apt expression
Out of the fear of uttering
A possible indiscretion.
 
The things I couldn't see in the past
I "see" much better now,
Such as the deep and powerful connections
Of the where and why and how.
Although there is a current diminishing
Of youthful visual acuity,
One doesn't need perfect vision
To penetrate ambiguity.
 
The things my ears could hear in the past
No longer sound the same.
Listening with the ears of experience
Completely changes the game.
To see with the ears and to hear with the eyes--
What a challenging perspective!--
Instead of being stuck in a pattern
That's sadly ineffective.
 
The things I knew so well in the past
I know right now even better.
Strict adherence to worn-out ideas
Proves to be a fetter.
If knowing is truly becoming, that means
The immeasurable range of our knowing
Is tied to our experiences and is
A direct result of growing.
 
George Bernard Shaw said youth
Is wasted on the young.
But maybe it's better for us to consider
Our youth as merely a rung
On the amazing ladder of life that we
Haven't ascended for naught.
We're lucky we've made it as far as we have;
The alternative's an unpleasant thought.
 
Knowing what I know and seeing what I see,
I'm forced to speak my mind,
Lest my silence be misconstrued
As agreement, which I find
Would contradict what I have learned
And what experience reveals.
Moreover, I can't justify
Abandoning my ideals.

- by Bob B