Inevitability

April 24, 2022

We are not who we used to be,
We’ve grown up and grown apart
There are things we can no longer see,
Like hope and dream and an untainted heart.
These days I am far less than I was,
And so much more than I had planned.
I think of what could have been because,
I no longer toe the line in the sand.

There are no longer any blacks,
And the whites are no longer white.
I feel my morality come under attack,
As infinite shades of gray cloud my sight.
Coming of age can be a bitter pill,
Adolescence is something we all share.
Adulting is more complicated still,
And the load can be harder to bear.

And though it grows heavier each day,
Each obligation we face fastidiously.
We cannot even think about running away,
We take our duty much too seriously.
We shield our kids with hugs as armor,
Keep them safe from the danger around us.
We wait at home to provide safe harbor,
Even as the loneliness surrounds us.

They have to grow and find their path,
One day, as adults, they will appreciate us.
And as parents ravaged by life’s wrath,
Frightened to become forgotten detritus.
Each year brings us closer to the end,
Passing memories, haunted by ghosts.
The inevitability of losing family and friends,
Missing all of the ones who loved you the most.

Your earliest friends are the simplest ones,
The ones who remember who you are.
They simply don’t care who we’ve become,
The ones who remain close even when apart.
And each year brings us closer to the end,
Passing memories, haunted by ghosts.
The inevitability of losing family and friends,
Missing all of the ones who loved you the most.