Had I the courage
equal these impulsive
desires of mine, to stay in
the fray, or to retire up along the
distant peaks, where casting all life’s
smaller stones upon the greater, may
well propel a once vibrant writer
to press past his limits…
.
Having known fear
in men’s hearts,
(hidden
in my
own as well)
and some of it
undiscovered, and henceforth
unknowable, how little sense it makes
that a man wear his life-narrative
as a cloak of insecurities…
.
This also I’ve known true
it’s not just cowardice I eschew,
or human pride that begs reproach,
it’s how the crowing poet recluse
becomes a servant of sameness
in a concerted effort
to flesh
out anxieties
and tears, and
unrequited fears,
(and all else unrealized) on
a digital dais for shallow praise….
.
Had eye the strength
equal these fair-minded
aspirations [of mine] each day
to accept this appearance with
no aimlessness or regret – I would
surely avow NEVER to flaunt the Words
now so sparse and gaunt. In an aging soil of
lessened brawn, so few remain to grow green on…
.
© richard lloyd cederberg
8/2023
.
Rebuttal to Self: “Take all the words you never said, the ones you wish you’d had the courage to say and say them now.” Darkness is approaching, and freedom of expression will be greatly curtailed. Perhaps it’s time now to let go of who (or what) you used to be. Focus now on who you are, and what good you desire to accomplish with the precious little time you have left.
             A NEW RACE OF HuMANS...