Progression of Life

Lost in Translation

I am looking around.

Confused.

I am trapped. 

Inside my own world of thoughts.

I feel alone.

No one understands me.

How can I become one of them?

Why does it take so long?

What do I have to do?

Why is it so confusing?

All I get is stares -

The extended silence

Hanging in the air

Why does no one answer me?

There are sounds everywhere.

They do not mean anything to me.

I understand the feelings,

But I cannot make out the specifics 

Of what they say.

I like to be outside

It is much more interesting than it is inside

Nature dances around me.

I like to play with the bugs

I try to catch them between my hands

I turn the moving shells upside down 

I watch as the slimy part retreats into the shell

It is all fun and games

It seems as though I am ignored

By the others

Something separates me from them

I do not know what

The only people I understand are those who are just like me

They are the same size as me

They move the same way I do

They enjoy the same games that I do

They speak a language similar to mine

I do not understand the others

There are so many things 

That make them different

I know that they like different things

What I do not understand is why

They do not like to have fun

They are always serious

Why wouldn’t you want to have fun?

Why wouldn’t you want to play games 

all day?

What else could be more important than joy?

It is these basic differences 

That leave me confused

There are only two ways to communicate 

Throwing a tantrum or laughing

I try to speak, but it is 

Lost in translation

Never Satisfied

I am given life,

But I want more - 

I wish to accomplish the greatest feats -

Make a change.

Make a difference.

Despite these desires,

I am tied down by other things,

Restricted.

Restricted by my own mind,

Not only by the predetermined path of my life.

It is not the societal norms that confine me,

It is the way in which I accept them:

As my future.

We all try to find ourselves 

And become individuals,

But in reality we compare ourselves to others.

We pay attention 

To the ways in which people react

To the way that we present ourselves.

How we portray ourselves

Is no longer who we truly are.

We fear judgement.

We fear doing wrong.

We fear disappointing others.

Our fears conquer all.

There are always more people to please,

The number is infinite,

Never ending.

It drags on forever.

Once one goal is met another arises,

Continuously,

Causing a lack of satisfaction.

Happiness is lost, 

And concern takes over.

We constantly take from the world

In hopes of reaching new goals,

But there are always new goals

Causing us to drain the world 

Of what it has.

We use its materials 

As though there is an inexhaustible supply.

We are unaware of the damage that we cause

As we follow in the steps of man,

We leave behind a track of carbon footprints.

It seems as though we do not care,

We overlook the consequences of our actions

As if they were minute details,

Insignificant.

We neglect to take a step back

And realize what what we have.

All we want is

More,

More,

More!

At what point are we asking for too much?

At what point should we give back?

These seem to be the questions people pose

But do not want to hear the answers to.

The world gives us so much,

And yet we are never satisfied.

The Top of the Stairs

Nothing is forever

Take the time to

Look back and appreciate the path

That brought you to this point,

The importance of each step taken.

Even the detours and missteps 

Had their own significance:

Lessons learned, 

Obstacles overcome.

When you look back 

It appears to be a game,

A game of Chutes and Ladders.

The chutes that took you

Back to square one

Were just as important as the ladders

That propelled you forward.

You would not have reached the finish line

Without each twist and turn taken.

It would not have ended the same way.

Every part of your path,

No matter how small,

Changed something in you,

Taught you a new lesson,

Gave you a new dream.

You had the opportunity to change the world

For the better,

Fight for what you believe is right.

It was your duty to contribute something

After all the support you were given.

Despite the abuse the world has been through,

It was there for you.

What did you do to help?

What impact have you made?

What mark have you left?

What is your significance?

Only you can produce an answer

To final questions pondered

Before nothing more can be done.

Take opportunities as they come.

You think you have a great deal of time

Until you look over 

And see the last grain of sand

Falling into 

The 

Pile 

Of sand

At the bottom of the hourglass.

The world creates an illusion; 

As the minutes crawl forward at a snail pace,

The years fly by.

It is over as quickly as it started,

And without any warning.

Life cannot be appreciated 

Until you come up for the final breath 

As it mellows out,

A break that only comes near the end.

Life is a gift,

Not treasured

Until you arrive you look down

From the top of the stairs.