Living for Now (and Then)
Don’t look back.
That’s what my past tried
to tell me. Move on.
There’s nothing to see here.
But there was. Is,
and I learned. There are stories
I have to tell you before
they are lost. Lessons learned.
Experience is for the inexperienced.
I was. I am, still. Just
as you are, will be.
Live for today, but remember.
If you learn anything from this,
and you will, remind yourself
of that. You will be thankful.
The optional prompt for Day 11 of National/Global Poetry Writing Month is to write a poem answering the questions “What does y(our) future provide? What is your future state of mind? If you are a citizen of the “union” that is your body, what is your future “state of the union” address?”
rivrvlogr 
i like this especially: “But there was. Is,
and I learned”
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Never ending.
Thank you.
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I like the way this poem’s written. It’s so meaningful in a quiet, soft way. I like” I was. I am, still. Just
as you are, will be”
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Those things we don’t think about.
Thank you.
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To be thankful…exactly my thought. (K)
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Yes.
Thank you, Kerfe.
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Love this! Especially “There are stories//I have to tell you/before they are lost.” Potent.
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Thank you, Lynne.
Unfortunately, more true with age.
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Ain’t that the truth!
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Good perspective on taking care of aging bodies … that they may keep the rest engaging new lessons.
Thanks for sharing the NaPoWriMo prompt for reference.
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Thank you. New lessons to pass on.
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Definitely life lessons, well-shared. ‘There’s nothing to see here. But there was.’ My favourite line!
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🙂 Thank you. They say hindsight is 20-20, but that’s only if you use it.
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I love this one, Ken. I really like the conversational tone, like you’ve come back and you’re sitting on the porch talking to your younger self.
“Experience is for the inexperienced.”
And there are lessons that we learn only as we get older.
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Thank you, Merril. I’ve always been one for living in the moment – at least experiencing it to the fullest while trying to understand its implications – but that doesn’t mean I have to ignore the past or not consider future implications. Especially future implications. I know that I’m not alone in turning a blind eye to those. There are times when I’ve waited too long to change my path. I don’t like to think I have any regrets, but there are things I should have done differently. Reminding myself that I’m not infallible is one way to avoid mistakes.
Yikes! Now I know where this poem came from!
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Haha–oh those internal monologues!
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Powerful message, beautifully and simply stated. 🙂
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Thank you.
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This is as easy and flowing as most of your work is. I do love poetry that talks directly to the reader and yours do.
How true about I am now, I was …and I might be.😊 .
Regrets you mention in an answer. What about calling them a tough lesson that made us wiser for the onward trip.
miriam
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Thank you.
And yes. those lessons.
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Nicely paced, Ken, with good “mouthfeel,” by which I mean it feels good in the mouth when I read it aloud. All the right words and sounds!
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Thanks, Bob. When I finished this, I thought I could use it to wrap up a project I’m working on. Funny how that works.
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🙂
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