Beyond Blame: Ever After Musings in Spoken Word

Not an ordinary house
Almost a maze
Up stairs for up
Down stairs for down
And in-between all so many places
To go lost and get found
Chutes and ladders live
In my board game life at five

Lions, tigers and bears
Deep jungle shadows lurk
Breathless I gasp
Who will free me from my demons?
Some real, others not
In my bed at seven

Thoughts of death consume and cripple
I count
I compute
How many lifetimes left?
To live over, rewind, play and repeat?
Before I am boxed, buried and breathless
Seeking comfort
In Mom’s bed at nine

A life without constraints
No borders
To Infinity and beyond
Or simply the end – full STOP.
Both scenarios hold the power
To terror and tease

But what if we’ve got it all wrong?
And it ain’t over till the fat lady sings?
Until all lost becomes found
Or at least its final resting place be known

What if we’ve got it all wrong?
And it ain’t over till we do what we love?
Until all our questions have answers
Or at least the answers we have bring us some peace of mind

What if we’ve got it all wrong?
And it ain’t over till our SAD diet is laid to rest?
Until all of our children feast on real food
Or at least their tummies are full

What if we’ve got it all wrong?
And it ain’t over till I’ve walked in your shoes and you in mine?
Until I am you and you are me
Or at least our children can play free

What if we’ve got it all wrong?
And it ain’t over till news broadcasts hope?
Until a collective sense of purpose resonates
Or at least our politicians are worthy of our vote

What if we’ve got it all wrong?
And it ain’t over till we can correct all our mistakes?
Until regret is laid to rest by a contented sigh
Or at least we know that we did our very best