I wrote these rather pompous verses when I thought I was old; Old enough to give advice to those younger than me. I am now twice as old as when I first wrote this; I am neither wiser nor more capable of giving advice now than I was then; Believe me or not – it’s YOUR CHOICE!
Pen & Wash … WHB – 2017
CHOICES, or ‘Advice To The Young’
Every second in a life can be a turning point; Chosen or unconscious it is there, Make a choice – it’s up to you, Why not try out something new? But never ever say that you don’t care.
You cannot stop your life from moving forward; Time rolls on despite your efforts to stand still. You can’t take a backward view, Nor can you jump the queue. You have to stay in line and climb life’s hill.
But life’s direction you can set about to change; Tweek it here, a twist just there, you can try out. The choice that you then make, With a little give and take, May well be something you can’t do without.
For when all is said and done, young man, you’re learning To find a path in life that holds for you. Just hold to your endeavour, Never ever say “for ever”, And keep your choices open to what’s new.
Did I ever kiss you in those halcyon days of old? did I ever hold you in my arms whisper to your ear? or say I want you so?
It didn’t happen then did it? It could have but it didn’t such a wasted moment such a forfeited life
What I know now, but didn’t then you were there waiting for me seeking a glimpse of recognition or even a nod to your very existence
What I feel now was not an option It was outside my ken then barely a glance away no more than a word away but a whole world away from mine or so I thought thoughtlessly
I could have taken that other path the road not taken into that parallel world that alternative reality the sliding door into another future but I chose differently unconsciously I didn’t know didn’t even consider that there might be that there was an alternative then
But In my ignorance in my indifference you left and I demurred
For you then
I know now there was a pain a hurt un-mended unintended
So I departed to a separate future itself now discarded this time for you
So long ago nothing then now is everything
Oh if I had spoken then broken that ice to find that different future
grasped at chance and fused we two together embarked on life’s unwavering path with hope that all that came to pass would prove to be life’s key its answer to failure
But would that alternative that re-positioned love have lasted long and still been fresh and sunny after a lifetime together
Or would it then would it have palled just been repeated on another plane and left us where we are now cold dispassionate and turning to another for succour
Or perhaps are both lives being lived right now co-existing in their own space along with all those other choices I did not make?
Uncertain amidst uncertainty there is a certainty
That time pleases no one history wins and history is the truth It has to be the truth for us when we ourselves have lived it however many histories there are
When we have loved not loved then re-discovered love we must somewhere have experienced the truth a life which we can take shared
Into the future
Perhaps this is it now so much better than what happened
… Then
# # #
But I believe at the time of their making our choices were the right ones only later in another life did they become the wrong ones
Nothing is pre-ordained that cannot be circumvented neither is anything unequivocal or absolute
So many possibilities so many doors to choose from countless ‘what ifs’ perhaps the order in which we choose matters not
Only the life that is being lived now
Or … THEN
NOTES:
The lead-in illustration is by George Boyce (geebee2007 / flickr.com) is for Philip Pullman’s book ‘The Golden Compass’, the first of the ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy, currently being prepared for filming by BBC TV. The trilogy follows the story of two children, Lyra and Will, as they wander through a series of parallel universes.
Author’s note: I am aware that ‘Alternate Reality’ seems to be used more often than ‘Alternative Reality’, which I nevertheless think is logically the more correct way of describing this concept.
Wisdom in making choices The difference between success and failure That or This I fancy that On a whim Going by my hunch Informed by research by feeling by preconceived idea by suggestion by prior study or by experience. Always too many choices Myriads of multiplicities And all with no return from choices made
How to tell Truth from falsehood Heaven from Hell Real from fake I know them well But how distinguish When needs must Worm from snake Ashes from dust Success from failure Love from lust Doubt from certainty Dependence from trust
But try as I must My heart to trust My beclouded eye Can neither vilify nor verify And while discernment strives Doubt to dispel My true self dithers While confidence withers And I am left Indecisive Of certainty bereft
How to tell Truth from falsehood Heaven from Hell Real from fake We know them well
But how distinguish When needs must Worm from snake Ashes from dust Success from failure Love from lust Doubt from certainty Dependence from commitment
Try as I must My heart to trust My beclouded eye Will not verify And while discernment strives Doubt to dispel
The sounding knell My last farewell Looms large
Still all is doubt In or out The choice is mine The bottom line Do I accept Do I decline
Today I am tackling a poem using the ‘Ottava rima’ poetic form.
Originally an Italian stanza of eight 11-syllable lines, with a rhyme scheme of ABABABCC. Sir Thomas Wyatt first introduced the form in English, and Lord Byron adapted it to a 10-syllable line for his mock-epic ‘Don Juan’. W.B.Yeats notably used it for his poems “Among School Children’and ‘Sailing to Byzantium.’
I wrote these rather pompous verses when I thought I was old; Old enough to give advice to those younger than me. I am now twice as old as when I first wrote this; I am neither wiser nor more capable of giving advice now than I was then; Believe me or not – it’s YOUR CHOICE!
Pen & Wash … WHB – 2017
CHOICES, or ‘Advice To The Young’
Every second in a life can be a turning point; Chosen or unconscious it is there, Make a choice – it’s up to you, Why not try out something new? But never ever say that you don’t care.
You cannot stop your life from moving forward; Time rolls on despite your efforts to stand still. You can’t take a backward view, Nor can you jump the queue. You have to stay in line and climb life’s hill.
But life’s direction you can set about to change; Tweek it here, a twist just there, you can try out. The choice that you then make, With a little give and take, May well be something you can’t do without.
For when all is said and done, young man, you’re learning To find a path in life that holds for you. Just hold to your endeavour, Never ever say “for ever”, And keep your choices open to what’s new.
Roland's Ragbag 