Careful what you wish for, is what they say.
This poem is about just that.
Submitted to Poets United Poets Pantry
May 7, 2017
******
When I was small, I was very fat
And I thought skinny was where it’s at
And during the years of my single life
I knew I’d be happy if I just were a wife.
Then I was married and the children came
And I knew when they were grown
I’d be ahead of the game.
When my babies had flown the nest
I thought working women had life the best.
Now I was working and accepting the pay
But I thought I’d give anything for one leisure day
Sure, I was married, as I’d wanted to be
But my single friends all seemed so free.
Time turned the pages, I was single again
And freedom not so great as I thought it had been.
When it’s over, I wonder, on that final day
Will I have lived my life, or just wished it away?
**********
(I would not want anyone to think I've led a life of discontent,
as that is most definitely not the case. It has been, and is, a
happy journey.)
A blog for the midnight epiphanies and idle thoughts of a hopeless wordaholic.
Oh that closure... but maybe, just maybe, we have to learn the lesson of wishing... and having the memories.
ReplyDeleteOy, this is how we live, so much of the time. What I love about retirement is the TIME, which slows enough that we can finally breathe and slow down too. A gift.
ReplyDeleteWishing is a gamble, same as life. We think we know what we want, and sometimes we almost do, but we can rarely figure this out until we are there... And it once there we discover that our wishes were not as wonderful as we believed them to be, there isn't always a way to go back. Careful what you wish for, indeed...
ReplyDeleteRecipe for discontent....never being satisfied with your situation...grass is greener syndrome, part of the human condition.
ReplyDeleteYOU HAVE LIVED YOUR LIFE ...it couldn't be any other way; would be my advice to your character in this piece : )
ReplyDeleteZQ
(Echoing R K, I see) Or, looked at another way, your protagonist has experienced ALL these various ways of doing Life.
ReplyDeleteThe grass usually looks greener but it still needs to be mowed.
ReplyDeleteI love this. It's a good reflection of living in a dissatisfied way rather than accepting life and our choices. This helps me be grateful for my life as it is.
ReplyDeleteAn important reflection....so good when we can be grateful for our life.
ReplyDeleteIt is the human DNA perhaps, always wanting more, never satisfied... sadly so.
ReplyDeletethe thing about wishing is the tentacles it sprouts, then you have the tasks of accepting, thanksgiving, applying and so forth, and yes definitely contemplation. A package deal ain't it
ReplyDeleteHave a nice Sunday
much love...
I relate to this poem, very much. I had a habit of "waiting" for something to happen(a down payment for a house, a child to be born, the children to be on their own, etc., etc.) I have had to remind myself that you diminish the joy of where you are at - in any given moment - by wishing and waiting for something else. Great capture!
ReplyDeleteWhat a journey, Beverly. Life offers twists and turns, happy and suprising instances. Guess we have to embrace everything.
ReplyDeleteWe are such fickle creatures, are we not?
DeleteElizabeth
Sometimes freedom can be an uncomfortable bed fellow
ReplyDeleteSometimes we wonder what is happiness? You piece seems to talk about someone who doesn't know....?
ReplyDeleteTremendous wisdom in this piece! The curse of never being satisfied.
ReplyDeleteTime turned the pages, I was single again
ReplyDeleteAnd freedom not so great as I thought it had been.
When it’s over, I wonder, on that final day
Will I have lived my life, or just wished it away?
One ponders over what and how the journey might have been! It certainly makes one treasure and appreciate having been able to get a better deal after observing what others had experienced!
Hank