If I looked back, would I see the past
Or just the present as a jumbled mess
Are the lessons of those days gone by
As clear as I profess them to be to others
Or are they lost in the rubble of the wreckage of my life
Pinned beneath the beams that I knocked down
In my quest for self satistaction
Without concern for the future of anyone or anything
Am I listening when I tell those shining stories
Of conquests, battles, victories and defeats
Or am I just rambling without fore or hindsight
Only concerned with the reactions of the audience
The present and future of no consequence
Until I find myself, once again
Stumbling through the scrapyard of mistakes
And broken dreams and promises of yesterday
Promising wearily not to repeat the damage
And to forge a solid present
On the way to a happier future
By remembering the past
And not just talking about it

M.C. McGowan
09/29/09