Had I known I’d make it this far,
Would I have taken better care?
Would I have walked by one bar?
Passed on one affair?
Declined a chemical adjustment?
Favored good sense over whim?
Deferred to my better judgement?
Forgone ribeye for kale so grim?
Of course not.
Assuming only survival had confirmation
And the aftermath of each decision
Were still open to speculation,
There would be no need for revision.
Suspending loss or gain,
And ignoring others’ wrath,
The fact that I remain
Confirms the virtue of my path.
Well, that may be going too far,
But, unrepentant, I’m already there.
Strange faith in fate served me well, so far
And pulled me through without a care.
Yet my waywardness in both fact and fame
Was no less reckless, no less wild
Than of friends fallen in this game
Some so young - less man, more child.
I’ve indeed fared better
Than friends of long ago
Who broke through every fetter
Unwilling the prized cheese to forego
And in a headlong rush
Lunged, heedless of the twang and snap
And fell to the deadly crush
0f fate’s cold steel trap.
Spring-loaded, compelling,
The trap holds undeniable sway,
But upon that I won’t be dwelling
While I have cheese enough for today.
Was I lucky? Doubtless so.
Was I canny in avoiding fate?
I guess, but how much, who could know?
So there are no values to equate,
And no formula for a survivor’s guide
To having one’s cake and eating it, too.
Such book would be hailed far and wide
A bestseller! But patently untrue.
The truth is that I have no idea
Why I’m now facing longevity,
Why, against all odds, I’m still here
In defiance of expected brevity.
So maybe I’m just the Second Mouse,
Distracted, wandering o’er the map,
Drifting from room to room, house to house
Appearing just after some unlucky sprung the trap.
At that point, what for me remains
But to show respect, doff my hat
And set to the work that pertains
To cheese management and growing fat.
My fate will arrive, neither too soon nor too late
An unknowable appointment’s been set,
‘Til then the whys and hows prove pointless debate
While I have good company and cheese enough yet.
Dec 16, 2018
Dec 16, 2018 at 5:28 AM UTC
Had I known I’d make it this far,
Would I have taken better care?
Would I have walked by one bar?
Passed on one affair?
Declined a chemical adjustment?
Favored good sense over whim?
Deferred to my better judgement?
Forgone ribeye for kale so grim?
Of course not.
Assuming only survival had confirmation
And the aftermath of each decision
Were still open to speculation,
There would be no need for revision.
Suspending loss or gain,
And ignoring others’ wrath,
The fact that I remain
Confirms the virtue of my path.
Well, that may be going too far,
But, unrepentant, I’m already there.
Strange faith in fate served me well, so far
And pulled me through without a care.
Yet my waywardness in both fact and fame
Was no less reckless, no less wild
Than of friends fallen in this game
Some so young - less man, more child.
I’ve indeed fared better
Than friends of long ago
Who broke through every fetter
Unwilling the prized cheese to forego
And in a headlong rush
Lunged, heedless of the twang and snap
And fell to the deadly crush
0f fate’s cold steel trap.
Spring-loaded, compelling,
The trap holds undeniable sway,
But upon that I won’t be dwelling
While I have cheese enough for today.
Was I lucky? Doubtless so.
Was I canny in avoiding fate?
I guess, but how much, who could know?
So there are no values to equate,
And no formula for a survivor’s guide
To having one’s cake and eating it, too.
Such book would be hailed far and wide
A bestseller! But patently untrue.
The truth is that I have no idea
Why I’m now facing longevity,
Why, against all odds, I’m still here
In defiance of expected brevity.
So maybe I’m just the Second Mouse,
Distracted, wandering o’er the map,
Drifting from room to room, house to house
Appearing just after some unlucky sprung the trap.
At that point, what for me remains
But to show respect, doff my hat
And set to the work that pertains
To cheese management and growing fat.
My fate will arrive, neither too soon nor too late
An unknowable appointment’s been set,
‘Til then the whys and hows prove pointless debate
While I have good company and cheese enough yet.