Life today

Yesterday, when I was young,
reminds me of music I once heard
and I can imagine my life being that song.
When I was young, I had the world spread out for me.

I dreamed of being a spaceman,
a cowboy, an army man, a fighter pilot
maybe even a policeman or a firefighter
and at times I knew I could be President.

Growing a little older, those dreams changed
doctor, teacher, or businessman
started to occupy my plans as I considered my
options and decided to write.

With thoughts of scripts, novels, shorts, and poetry
it was easy to see myself doing that.
Suddenly, I was older
and what I decided turned to how I would survive.

In the end there is no lake house, or hut by the sea
where typewriters and keyboards
keep me up through nights of writing.
Kids, responsibilities, and bills have become life today.

2009 Clinton S. Thomas

We Complain

We complain
unemployment is up
the economy is dying
the stock markets down.
a recession is around

Burma
villages disappear
genocide thrives
travel is to survive

Darfur
forced to kill
raped, tortured to break the will

Still, we complain?