Writing is often defeating
It’s rarely (if ever) exciting
Not all that I write is worth reading
But all that I write is worth writing

I want the THING. I need the THING.
The THING is what I need.
And anything that’s not the THING
Is frivolous indeed!

Marvelous THING! Of THING I sing!
The THING is on my brain!
And all I do is think think think
How THING I can attain.

The taste of water from a hose
the squish of mud between the toes
the smell of grass that's freshly trimmed
and how it clings to feet and skin
swimming pools and lakes and streams
if there is water, there's a means
a bathing suit that's worn all day
will dry within the course of play
a blast of lighting -- swimming’s doom!
counting time from flash to boom…

Well I suppose that I should know
exactly what to say
before I sit and try to write
a single line today

But that's not me - I write to thinkto see what I will say -
Five hundred words may grace the page
before I find my way

"So tell me mr so-and-so
what is it that you do?"
adults are always asking when
they meet somebody new.

And when they meet a child they ask:
“what is it you will be --
When you grow up, from small to tall,
and you're as old as me?” …

Origin
No one quite knows where the sickness began
When it made the jump from beast to man
Before it consumed all the men of the land
Though they say it’s as old as the trees.

Symptoms
Once it’s embedded, the virus it grows
When stricken, we’re sickened to lowest of lows
And always in small ways the symptoms will show
And fell us to our knees…

Some people write better;
their poems are more clever -
(and some are so funny I cry).

Many write prettier,
faster, and wittier,
but none can be me-er than I.

Adults are really good at telling
kids just what to do -
Often scolding, sometimes yelling
things they wish we knew.

And on the whole their recommendations
aren’t so very bad -
If only they would follow them,
themselves, if just a tad! …

In theory, I’m familiar with
The value of persistence,
But me I choose to gently cruise
The paths of least resistance.

I’ve heard expressed that our success
Depends on showing up,
Me? I’ll wait until the date
I’ve finished growing up…

Each morning is childbirth and I am the child --
Unwilling to leave the womb.
So snug in bed, I’m pulled, instead,
To the harsh light of of my room.

I cry and wail, to no avail -
(The nurse is cold and cruel)
“Wake up!” she shouts and heaves me out,
“Or you’ll be late for school!”

Today’s the day I do the THING!
By tomorrow, I’ll be through!
I’m pleased to say, it’s underway,
(for tomorrow, it is due)

What’s that you say, with such dismay?
I’ve only just begun?
Oh no, you see, these past few weeks
I’ve worked a metric ton! …

I only speak of the practical things,
the tactical things of use to me.
For all else is fantastical,
and really quite abstruse to me.

Feel free to talk of bank accounts,
and money, stocks and bonds.
If it consists of logistics, then
I’m happy to respond…

You liked it, you say? Well you're really too kind!
Which ones and which parts, might I ask, do you mind?
(Could it be? Is it true? That you like what I do?
That I'm not just a fraud with a flawed point of view?)

Oh those were my favorites! You savored them, too?
And how clever you are to make such a review!
(I'm genius! They love me! I've done it at last!
All the doubting and pouting -- that's stuff of the past!) …

I wish someone had told me
when my heart was so inclined -
“Don’t just find the people you love;
love the people you find”

Oh hi! It's you! It's been SO LONG!
(I've been in such a tizzy)
I know I owe you a call and all
but my God HAVE I BEEN BUSY!

Work has been crazy as ever, you know
and the kids, they’re so demanding.
While all of the traveling has me unraveling;
it’s a miracle I’m still standing! …

The meaning of LIFE? It’s simple, my boy:

Love,
Improve,
Fortify, and
Enjoy

The L is for Love, it’s a practice, a choice.
It’s not a reaction, a feeling or force…

Imagine if you will with me -
You're walking home one day
when you hear a little whimper
come from not too far away.

You turn the corner and you find
a puddle on the ground.
And in the puddle there you see
a puppy that’s half drowned! …

Please Mr. Principal, let me explain,
it wasn’t my fault once again -
I was minding my business, playing with scissors
when the teacher so rudely stepped in!

She took my shears and sent me here -
your so-called “educator”
And stripped me of my natural rights
endowed by my creator! …

A smile! It’s such a simple thing -
a twitching of the lips.
Or far away, you may relay as
[Colon] [space] [ellipse]

A smile - it carries zero cost;
It’s free to give or get.
A cheaper gift that gives such lift?
I’ve not received one yet…

Wear underwear outside your pants,
you'll notice this effect:

You won’t be any smarter,
but you'll be smarter than others expect.