by Andy Betz

Staring at a symphony of lightning bugs
The cacophony of silence awakens my mind
This picturesque display witnessed from my back yard
And my life begins to unwind

I hear prophetic words of pomp and circumstance
Retold through encounters from my past
With each acknowledgement, they fade into memory
Ago, Now, and Soon on stage to contrast

Do I measure up to expectations?
Should I take another chance?
Did I forfeit a golden opportunity?
Will I ever learn to dance?
Could I push my luck a little farther?
Make another mile before the sunset
Might I make a greater impact?
And live my life without regret

The child of ago demands a second try
A do-over to grab the brass ring
An unearned advantage
From an omnipotent fling

But the adult from now has truer vision
And knows no such toll free road exists
For I am the product of my decisions
Such truth is folly to resist

I will seize the day with well-worn hands
Tempered with experience of my age
I will speak the words of lost prophets
Derived from a learned sage
I will act as all men should
Unabashed and unafraid
And I will love as no man could
Impossible to dissuade

For I know now what I knew not then
Leaving me helpless to repair each and every flaw
I have the corners and the edges identified
The puzzle of my life I lived and I saw

So I sit in my back yard
Awaiting for the luminescent encore
I know I participated each and every step
But I won’t worry about my past anymore.
&
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Andy Betz 

Andy Betz has tutored and taught in excess of 30 years. His novel, short stories, and poems are works still defining his style. He lives in 1974, has been married for 27 years, and collects occupations (the current tally is 100). His works are found everywhere a search engine operates.

Artist: Unknown