When we are children we are told what we can, what we cannot, what we should, and what we should not do... even as we get older some people do not want to give up their control over their offspring and allow them to walk on their own two feet and give them the gift of trust and independence... if people are beholden to too many restrictions when they get the opportunity some people will naturally rebel - especially if they feel as if they have nothing to lose... if people are told that plans have already been made for them to do something, without first being consulated, then independently minded individuals will give their own two cents and go their own way - because some people do not like having the gift of choice being taken away from them... there is an unmistakable look in the eye of someone who is always going to buck the trend and not do what they are told... there is a noticeable expression on the face of those who say one thing but who are almost definitely going to do the opposite... there is a path of past actions and transgressions that when reflected upon may be able to predict when, why, and how someone will ultimately break the mould... there is an unwritten rule that even the most predictable, dependable, and admittedly boring people can at times surprise even themselves - and that is why, even of ourselves, we should all sometimes expect the unexpected.
Expectations
My Poem ‘Thirty-six’
So much has changed,
so much is different…
I still have the same name,
I still live in the same place,
and for the most part
I still have the same face –
but I am not the boy who I once was…
and, as I always do at this time of the year,
I am wondering to myself,
as I stare at my own reflection:
what about me has changed the most?
These days, I have brown hair –
where as when I was a child I was a natural-blond…
these days, I take journeys to many places on my own –
where as when I was a boy growing up in my village
the furthest away from home that I went
was down to the end of the road
and to the nearest duck-pond…
these days, I spend hours dreaming up new stories
and making up adventures for complex characters –
where as when I was a boy, I… I…
to be honest, I pretty-much did exactly the same thing –
but these days when I write something
usually I am writing from the experience
of having been through and having seen so much.
I have always asked questions…
I have always looked for the meaning of things…
I have always lived my life without feeling
burdened by other people’s expectations…
I have always looked up to the sky –
at the stars at night,
or to the blue-sky of a Summer’s day –
and I have always been awestruck by what I saw,
because every time I look up I am inspired,
and what follows is always breathtaking.
All life is about change,
about transformation, and about transition…
everyone’s life begins in the same way,
and from the day that we are born
we are all on our way
to the same destination…
all my life, my parents have been there for me
and they have given me more than a son
could ever ask for –
every day, my Mum and Dad are with me
and it is because of them that I am so blessed…
when I was a boy, I said a prayer and I made a wish:
I prayed to God that I would find my purpose,
and that while searching for the meaning of my life
I would find love and happiness…
now, I am an adult –
and, as I look around myself and at my life,
I can say with all my heart
that all my wishes and prayers have come true…
I can honestly say that my life has been one
that I would never have wanted to miss –
even knowing all that I have seen and been through,
I feel loved, and truly blessed to be who I am
and to have done all that I have done…
and I am still only 36.
Mark The Poet 