The Man I Knew

The man I knew was full of surprises
Although I saw through all his disguises
He shocked and inspired me every day
Allowed me to develop (in my own special way)

The man I knew, well, he also knew me
We'd share experiences, wherever they'd be
We'd share the world, this man and I
Or how we laughed in times gone by

The man I knew did not come with me though
The man I knew could not follow where I'd go
The man I knew waited, as I developed afar
The man I knew now seems somewhat bizarre

Because the man I knew did not grow in my absence
He kept all my old prejudice and ignorance
Gained no new memories, and stayed quite still
In the manner of the comatose and deathly ill

See, I treasured my time deeply with the man I knew
I spend my time today with another man, quite new
Because though the man I knew doesn't really exist anymore
The man I knew is just the man I was before

Goodbyes

A goodbye can be many things. Yet it is just one word
This is polysemy. From one word, many meanings
Many different responses which can thus be inferred
From a simple goodbye emerges many feelings

"Goodbye Today" is said with closing eyes
An an inevitability in every utterance
The routine sadness is mere inevitability
As it's said with mechanical competence

The goodbye to a hero, that they cannot hear
To an inspiration you may never have met
A person who got you through your darkest year
Though they've gone their legacy is your safety net

Goodbye to a habit you've had for a while
Wishing a life with new habits and motives
Those it may have brought you many a smile
And the impact of its absence will be explosive

The casual goodbye, which later meant much more
A last word you didn't realise would be your last
When you didn't realise what the future had in store
As life has simply moved by you too fast

Goodbye is more versatile than we ever give it credit
We put much burden on the shoulders of this sound
So, until and if we meet again, please don't forget it
How much a goodbye can mean when it's around

This is today

This is today.

You're experiencing it live.

Front row tickets.

Now what will you see....

This is today,

Not yesterday, that's done and over with

No replay, so let's make it different. I saw it first hand

I say, yesterday, is old news. 

This it today,

Not tomorrow, we're not ready yet

We come gracefully towards it soon. But for now

Let's have some grounding in the present

This is today,

Your whole life has been leading here, you know

That hole in your timeline is now filled. It is

Your soul, your flow. Your current.

This is today,

Though I've said this before, it's never the same tone

To strive to understand that in this moment. Only now

Are we alive, to experience today.

A pledge

I pledge to listen more this coming year.

What if I agree with someone on an issue?
I will listen carefully to how we agree, in the hope that they can further my understanding and nuance, and find more wonder in what I already enjoy.

What if someone is passionate about something I am not?
I will listen to understand their passion, either to further it in them, or to elicit it in myself. Just maybe, the spark of a new interest may burn. I will not put someone down for having different interests to myself.

What if we disagree?
I will assume the disagreement is because of a well-thought out structure. I will endeavour to take the same path they did, and understand their journey.

What if their ideas are dangerous?
I will seek to understand, before I seek to marginalise. Seek to help enlighten them, before I seek to blind them. It is possible I am wrong.

What if they're bored of me?
I will give people polite opportunities to leave, if I can. I will accept that, on the whole, I am bad at reading signals, and should always allow people a chance to get away.

And what if I'm bored?
I will seek to find interest, and something to spark mutual energy.

Mostly, I will try to find the best in people. Find why they live their lives, as they obviously live one I do not.

I will try.

For that is all I can do.