One step in the soft concrete
and the direction you turn from there
will shape decades.
You may find the very place,
step there again, walk over it;
turn again.
It is the same pavement noticeably
worn by micro erosion, cracked
by the hard ice of twenty winters.
The place is the same,
the space is changed—
shaped as it is now
by twenty years of urban development.
Some buildings provide
familiar shelter,
others drip stormwater on your head
from strange appendages.
Stand there
if you can spare a moment.
Turn again.
No pavement lasts forever;
concrete is liquid
and can take decades to dry.

When I said, "I can,
I'm asked, how possible?
The moment I said, "I can't,"
The agreeing nod was audible

Obama did it...
You are not Obama!
Likely to fail like Edith
Sure! The poor bar man

I was taught
To stay positive till the end
Took my choice off the wrong thought
once I know, it's all just in my head

The agreeing thought was audible
The moment I said, "I can,"
I'm asked, how possible?
Yet I said, "I can".

I don’t do sides
–--- I’ve chosen my side
at least not yours
–--- and it’s not yours
They’re too far apart
–--- I choose peace
and no thread will mend
---- it’s not yours to decide
the chasm you defend
---- this choice is mine

I had to do it,

but the choice I made felt like --


someone else's coat.

Why did I leave late?
Why is the traffic so bad?
How long do I have to wait?
This situation makes me mad.
When I stay calm
And just breathe
When I realized
Being frantic, sad, or mad
Would change nothing, indeed
Knowing that I have a choice
To go through this trip
Peaceful, calm, and composed
Experience change
Although I'm still late for the airport.

you think
one day my memories
will fade away
from your life,
like i did

what a dream you have

you forget one thing
it was not my choice
to leave you
it was your impulsiveness
who drift us apart

If we are to take
full responsibility
for all of our
choices
and actions
then that means
that the things
that we do
stand alone,
in and of
themselves.

It doesn't matter who did what
or
what was happening
around us,
in the moment.
When we are
truly responsible
and accountable,
we do not look
to others actions
or choices
as an excuse
to justify our own.

To accept
Personal
Responsibility
is to take
Accountability
for our own Choices,
first and foremost.

Don't expect
your neighbor
to pick his
dogs **** up
off your lawn
when you
are knee deep
in the horse
manure
you just dumped
in his front yard.

I believe in destiny, not fate
Because our lives are steered
By the choices we make
Left or right, right or wrong
Our choices, not fate, make us strong
And yet, a certain destination
Is the best-case situation
Left or right, right or wrong
Or any path we walk along.

I can decide if I will let go
and enjoy the moment
with the crepe myrtle across the way
and swing in the breeze with the sunflowers
or
if I will pull the shade of fear over my eyes
and attach to my feet the weight of worry.