Life living blind

">Eyes Open

 

A few years ago for some reason I decided to write a poem that I believe turned out pretty well. I realized that I actually had some unknown talent. 

   I never knew I had this talent because like a lot of people who are like me I was always to busy trying to be entertained rather than being creative. I lived my whole life existing day to day just trying to survive. I would go to work ( sometimes) in a mind numbing factory or restaurant just to make enough money to  pay rent on a place just so I would have a place to go and unwind, get a buzz and forget it all for awhile. I never even knew I was supposed to try something different. Everyone I knew or associated with did the exact same thing. 

      We may have been told to go to school and get an education but I don't think most people knew why we should. The average person would assume that you should go to school to make more money. This is definitely something a person should strive for but it's far from the most important.

      A lot of us were not encouraged to do much of anything short of turning 18 so we could hurry up and get out of our parents house. This forced us to take the first job that was offered to us. Before long we were content to be working at McDonald's or some other fast food chain. We were content because we were having parties in our new apartment. We thought we were grown up and liked our independence.

     Some of us were not grown up however and would never become grown up because a person can't mature a whole lot when they never remain sober enough to make any decisions let alone mature decisions. 

     Our parties were costly even if we didn't realize how much. Some of us became involved in relationships that we would never have, had we remained sober. We became mothers or fathers at an age when we should have been focusing on what to do with the rest of our lives.

       We were with the other person for the wrong reason from the outset so if we decided to get married it probably didn't last long. 

       We soon were living a life that had somehow turned into only regret and resentment. 

    To watch someone else's life on television was the logical thing to do because who would want to look at our own lives. 

     We sought escape in television, music and most definitely drugs. 

   We called ourselves successful if we held onto the same job for a few years. If we were ever able to buy a home we considered ourselves lucky.

    I'm not sure what I would have been had I taken the time to even consider going to college.

I would like to think I could have been a successful writer or artist. 

   I'm not sure what I would like for the reader to take out of this. I suppose I am telling you to keep on trying and don't get overwhelmed by it all. Everyday is a struggle but we have to attempt to do the best we can. We have to keep setting goals for ourselves because that's the only way to get the sense of accomplishment we've been looking for. 

      I hope I can take my own advice. Just knowing is not enough. I more than anyone have to keep on attempting to be the best I can. 

           With my eyes finally open yours truly O³