Futurelawyer

#TBT - As We Approach Our Fourth Wedding Anniversary, I Am Sad To Report That Diane Failed Her Training.

#TBT - Rose Bush.

Life doesn't offer many second chances. Decisions made create ripples in time, and no amount of flailing will bring the opportunity back again. So, living in the present is all important. Don't engage in useless looking back at things that cannot be changed. Spend your time increasing the quality of the decision in front of you now.

They rushed around,

led separate lives,

ran red lights,

faced daily stress,

nursed sick children, and

listened to irrational people

with problems of their own.

They lost sight of the goal.

They forgot to spend time together.

Too soon, it was over.

He remembered the flowers he gave her

for Valentine’s Day.

They died in the vase.

They were pretty for a while.

Then, like people,

they withered and died.

He resolved that,

next time,

he would plant a rose bush,

in the yard.

It would grow in the soil,

and over time,

it would create blooms

that lasted forever.

They would plant it together,

as a symbol of undying love.

It would be their legacy,

to those who came behind.

Next time, he would get it right.

#TBT - Getting The Monster Out Of The Closet.

For this Throwback Thursday, I found a poem written some years ago, after cleaning out SWMBO's closet. Life tends to be a roller coaster, doesn't it? After a death, there are days filled with reminders, and days spent sorting the detritus of our previous lives. Then, the sun shines again, and we begin the journey all over again. 

He spent a weekend

in the shadows

with her clothes and shoes.

He had forgotten how beautiful she looked in them.

Each trip to the car

brought back memories

of events and places.

He brought his monsters

into the light

and they sat quietly

waiting for him

to move them to a new home.

Would he miss them?

Once the closet was empty

he set about filling it again

so that the next occupant

could store their own monsters

within its walls.

Why was it so hard

to step from the shadows

into the light?

#TBT - Memento Mori.

The Stoic precept, Memento Mori, counsels us to remember always that death is our destination. Understanding that makes it mandatory that we enjoy the life we have today. When I first learned this lesson, I was sad that I had spent so much time wasted because I subconsciously thought I would live forever. It is a hard lesson when we realize that our youth was largely spent thinking we were invincible. So, start every single day with an acknowledgement that you might not get another. Get out there. Live a little.

When I die,

remember how I lived.

Remember that I started the day with a smile,

but only after several cups of coffee.

Remember that I loved gadgets,

and the rain,

and making computers dance and sing,

and making friends

with complete strangers.

Remember that I learned to accept

death

as a necessary part of living.

Remember that I loved,

and lost,

and loved again.

Remember that I went to bed early

and got up early,

and loved to write poems

in solitude.

Remember that I tried

to make you understand,

that loving and living and accepting fate

is the only way to be happy.

Remember that you will die

and live like it will happen later today.

#TBT - Reading Is Fundamental.

I was blessed with a mother who believed that reading to her children, and teaching them to read, was the best thing she could do to educate us. I was encouraged to read everything and anything, from billboards in the car, to cereal boxes. I still have the set of Children's Classics she bought for us, and which exposed me to classic literature in a child's language. I annoyed my parents often in the car, by loudly spelling along with billboards; most notably, the store signs like LIQUORS. We didn't have Television; but, we did have to point out that our comic books had words in them. If you have kids, the more they read, the better they will be able to navigate their world. Teach them to think for themselves, and you will never have to ban a book. Free access to knowledge is as important as free speech.

 

#TBT - Travel Agent

He wanted to be her travel agent.

He wanted to show her the world.

He had the ticket.

He wanted to meander through the highways

of her silky skin,

over the bumpy terrain that led to her womanhood.

He wanted to stay awhile.

When he crossed oceans,

he wanted her near him,

standing by,

while he brought down the sun for her.

He wanted to make the moon rise,

in her honor.

She couldn’t decide whether he could

deliver her a passport

to the places she wanted to go.

When she held his heart in her hands,

did she know that it bled for her?

#TBT - Dreamer.

In his dream,

God sent him an angel,

dressed in white,

ready to lift him up

to heaven.

She sang a litany of love

and hope.

She would forgive his sins,

like parish priests

on Saturday afternoon.

He would step confidently

into the light,

renewed,

and ready for a new life.

He wanted his words to her

to ride a litany of praise

to heaven.

He wanted them to scream

of his devotion and his love.

He feared that they would travel too softly,

unable to reveal

the depth of his emotions.

Unable to reveal his love.

He knew that the harsh light of day

would remind him,

of the little cruelties

that invaded his daydreams.

He hated the reality

of a world

that harmed the innocent,

and rewarded the guilty.

Still, he dreamed,

and somehow knew,

that when she came

she would be looking for an angel also.

#TBT - Rio And I Are Brother And Sister.

Are You Really Going To Live Today?

Still alive and kicking. Live every day like it was your last.

#TBT - Civilization, The Beginning Of The End.

Mankind reaches a turning point in evolution.