Lucky

Beating back against the fray --
Against the unfurling confusion of the every day,
Trying to rise above,
To do what's best and to distinguish
Between what you've come to believe
Is your own dream
And what is really your own
Rather than what others dream for you,
In your supposed best interest --
Is exhausting.

Bone melting, hair hurts, forget to breathe,
Fall and pick yourself up by the carefully starched shirttails,
And the longer you do this,
The more you come to realize
That while the effort may be noble,
It has little to do with the outcome;
The outcome you are still not sure
Is one you've hoped for yourself.

They say a watched pot never boils.
They say you find love when you're not looking.
They also say the early bird catches the worm,
And while you're caught untangling such
Pervasive proverbs that all apply in their own evasive ways
At different times,
Life happens:

A series of moments,
Strung together by co-option and truth,
And in the end, though certainly
The effort is noble and makes it possible
To look at yourself in the tryingest times,
The older you get,
As long as you get up,
You see it's all a simple matter

Of luck.