Things They Say
When you're young,
they say 'follow your passion,’
but my father puffed blue smoke from his cigar
and responded, "Yeah,
you'll make big money writing poetry."
When you're hurt,
they say, 'Everything happens for a reason'
but my mother in her gardening shirt
glanced at my ankle and said in a slow breath,
"Stop jumping off the roof."
When you’re impatient they say,
'good things come to those who wait'
but after my grandmother said it,
my grandfather looked at me with contempt and added,
"Why aren’t you just doing it?"
They say, "There's no 'I' in team"
and it's literally true but
there is no 'we' in "Who's getting the credit?"
so sometimes we have to speak up
to make sure we do.
It's okay - my wife reminds me.
Sometimes when you’re lonely they say
"It’s the dark night of the soul"
but actually, visibility is pretty good.
I see what I'm doing, no excuses,
I could have helped more
and I know I should do better.
They say 'you’ll always change your mind'
and maybe I agree with that one
because I'm wearing the purple shirt
I used to despise.
So it's just a matter of time.
We'll have to check back about this one later.
- Eric Gallagher
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