Regret nothing
and be grateful for what you are
and what you have
whether it is good or bad
and know that wealth
is not possession but enjoyment
so be grateful for the people
throughout your life that made you happy
especially the ones who made
your soul blossom
as we can learn much from those
who have gone before us.

Don't be afraid to step off
of the accepted path
and head off in your own direction
if your heart tells you
that it is the right way to go
and always believe that
you will succeed at whatever you do
and wherever you go
because you never know
how strong you are
until being strong is the only choice
that you have.

Don't worry about whether
your beautiful or you are ugly
because by the time that we are eighty
we will all look the same
even after playing our little game
so just hang in there
and everything will be all right
and try to get some sleep
at night.

As we go through life
we learn that they can't teach you
everything that you need to know in School
like teaching you how love somebody
with all that you have
nor can they teach you
how to be famous
and they can't teach you
how to be rich or how to be poor
and most of the time
they will just show you the door
becasuse they will never
teach you how to walk away
from someone
that you loved and who
you thought was
that someone who was sent to you
from above.

They don't teach you
what to say to someone who is dying
or teach you how to stop crying
as you watch them leave
or how to deal with
someone's continuous
lying .

I've done it all starting
with answering the call
for my Country in a meaningless war
that left me with only
trying to find a door
that would lead me out
of my pain and I've been rich
and I've been poor and
all of the dead space in between
and so much I have seen
that I will never forget
and I am still trying to find that door
to my happiness.

Don't judge me if you don't
know a thing about my wants and needs
or I will drop you to your knees
because I have been knocked down
so many times and left for dead
by those who are not very well read
but I keep getting back up
because that is me
and what I do better than anything
so it would seem.

On the down side of this wild ride
of the boomer generation
I try to finish out this ride
as I watch so many dropping
by the wayside but so many are still  
waiting to just turn the page
with no rage.

Never regret anything
that made you smile even if
it only lasted for a very short while
and try to remember that
your happiness is all up
to you.

While humanity sleeps in the night
all I do is write
and my words and my tears
have flooded Valley's without
a single solitary sound
but for me sometimes the Sun shines
but the clouds always seem to return
so I guess I'll just never learn
but I do know that when knowledge
speaks wisdom listens.                                      Jon York              2012