February 09-B, 2023

It's all practice!
Why don't we have it down?

We get up each day 
as though it is the first day--
as though we have learned nothing
through all of the other days.

We pursue the same ends
using the same means
in the same ways.

We think it is just a matter
of trying harder,
of being lucky,
of doing more
in the service of what did not work
yesterday,
or in any of the previous days.

Only with more drugs, sex, alcohol,
diversions,
distractions,
denial
thrown in
"just for good measure."

Any reasonable, 
fairly intelligent 12-year-old
would look at us 
and wonder why we haven't awakened,
wised-up,
seen what's what
and what we are doing in response,
turned the light around,
changed our mind about what's important
and grown up
by now.

It's a reasonable,
fairly intelligent
thing to wonder.

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