When I was young
It was all for me

The ideas of my friends
And the thoughts of the old
The things that brought me to my knees
And finally the one that built me up

The love of the perfect
And sooner
And for longer
Their desperate absence

I took on the words of the weak
As they flexed their muscle
And I drank with friends
And talked about this

Now as my eyes do not see as well as I remember
I know what is right
But far better
What is good