Wisdom of a wasted life

Sometime is hard to see beyond our own life.

             Wisdom of a wasted life.

When we are born.
Even the poorest of people have opportunities.

Outcasts and poor folks seem to work harder.
They appreciate every small or large victory.
They grasp books and reach for knowledge.

I have always hated lazy people.
They beg and cry for having nothing.
Their hands always reaching out for money and handouts.

I have known people who lived off the life of other people.
One day no-one is left.
They can't function enough to buy themselves a meal.

Who is to blame?
I believe someone should of kick their a*s like my father did to me.
Told me make money and get a education.
Only respect for a Ojibwa/Mexican is education and money.

Today my mind isn't no good.
Body is beaten from raising too much hell.
I loss my memory from drinking.
The 120 shots I received in the Army took from my body and mind.
I don't blame no-one.

No-one forced the beer and wine down my throat.
I join the Army twice to wander off to War.
I could of learn from Hemingway and Mark Twain.
War is s**t.
No-one wins in the end.

World was never real pretty.
Then I saw  my baby girl being born.
I quit walking the edge and quit drinking.
I had a purpose to be alive.

I wasted 37 years looking for one reason to be alive.


Now today I know the world is simple.
Nothing good in a life comes easy.
Hard work make a man wise and at peace.
We need to appreciate every new day.

We need to be thankful for days with family.
Be thankful for the kind people in our life.
Be thankful for good health.

Give what we can to the poor and helpless.
Karma is a fair judge.
Love isn't forever.
Friendship is.

In the end.
We must look into the mirror.
We must like the person looking back.

In the end.
We need to think before we speak.
Nothing good to say. Say nothing.


  Coyote

Author's Note

I hear young people speak of death like it will bring peace. Life is a million mile journey. What may be around the next turn? Maybe a sweet dream ready to come alive or a good friend waiting.
Coyote

Reviews

[olla]

Some people grow up and others just grow old… my Mother always said every one grows up sooner or later.. it just takes some longer than others.. with my grandsons.. I tell them I want them to survive the experience.. you have survived the experience and gained wisdom.. I can’t feel that the time it took is wasted when the goal is achieved.. I still battle my inner child.. willful and stubborn little piece of baggage that she is..

[Coyote Poetry]

I agree my friend. Each of us learn in our own time. I was lucky. Mexican/Ojibwa father made me mean and hard early. He lived when a Native American had no rights. Thank you for reading and the comment.

[Rachelle]

True wisdom gleaned from experience and insight, Coyote!

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you Rachelle. Old age does make us wiser.

[Valentine]

There is a lot of truth and a lot of wisdom in this write. I am glad I had to go deeper into your writes to find one to review. Great write. Kathie

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you Valentine. One of my old poems. We need to listen to the elders.Teach us what life can be.

[Raja Anjana Kothapalli]

Very true! Sometimes it is hard to see beyond our own life. This poem depicts it very well with smooth and gripping narration. I liked how the journey ended in hope for more and appreciation towards what we already have. Thanks for sharing this beautiful piece of poetry, Coyote.
-Anjana

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you Raja. My first poem published on the W.C six years ago.

[Raja Anjana Kothapalli]

Pleasure is mine, Coyote!☺☺

[Thomas Fitzgerald]

A truthful piece that tells of an age where we took life my the horns and rode the wave to greatness, and now, we merely stare on as others do, well done, good read.

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you Thomas for reading and the many good comments. Last year I wrote 200 new poems. I have been writing the ancient writers. Dryden had become my favorite. I recommend Jack London "When God laughs." You would enjoy. I believe life is fair. I hope the world improved. Too late for me. I got old. I hope for the sake of my kids and all kids. I hope all is going well with you. Have fun and be safe.

[Black]

the turning point is quiet facination
thanks for sharing

[The Old Ashes]

This was incredible Coyote. The sheer truth and power and wisdom of it brought tears.
There is a fine line between fact and opinion, one that some find to easy to cross.
I do not "agree" with your "opinions."
What you have written here is fact.
Fact that I hope your readers will take to mind and heart for what it is- simple truth.
Aside from the sheer emotion it instills, the only thing I noticed were a few sort of.. grammatically vague (?) areas that made some bits hard to understand.
Keep up the great work Coyote.

[Gandré]

First let me tell you, I looked at the picture which is the decoration of another poem (something with Monterrey), such an energetic face it is! Well, the thing with those beggars... I think they often don't really have the strength to live, I give them always at least something, it hurts me to see a ruined life. Now we have many Gypsies from Romania, they come here, ask for political asylum, nobody wants to have them of course, folks without a place to live and so they are allowed to stay o month and the whole family, like 8 people or even more, would be begging in the same street on Hauptstraße the pedestrian shopping zone here, with a distance of 100 meters and on the end of day they have even 150 EUR together; there is something, a mother with small baby, who can see this.. it hurts to see it and after a month they are told to leave the country, they go home with another car, and they bought it here, here in the cities we aren't allowed to drive the old cars (because of the ecological damage they do, pollution), or for they additionally of course get daily money for each family member, something like 15 EUR per person, they make fortune in this one month in Germany and they are allowed to enter Germany because of Holocaust. Everybody is looking for a chance, perhaps not everybody got a chance and every beggar makes me sad. To your poem: yes, being lazy is difficult. I think, so many reasons even for this. You got your life right, finally you write about drinking period but you are strong, you were able to quit (many did, also G.W. Bush did), in my family 1 died on alcoholism, grandfather's brother, those stories are everywhere. I was told, "no, don't get education, go and work" and I left my home in the age of 17 and got education and still I am getting education. I don't know, perhaps I do because I have the will to live; perhaps good genes. I can tell your mind is good, as you have your thoughts in direction to the right issues, so many don't see for they busy with their tiny details of daily life. I loved those lines, "Then I saw my baby girl being born.
I quit walking the edge and quit drinking.
I had a purpose to be alive." ---- isn't it a wonder such a small life and you got strength in a flash and everything changed. I also liked the stanzas - when you were expressing the need to be thankful for every single day we live in a safe country... it is not that long time that we have peace in Europe; I see this as a wonder. I like your philosophy, helping others and caress friendship and love - when love met us. Ha ha I liked the end. It told me: better say nothing, when you can't say anything new or something old but looking at it from a new perspective. I liked that you say, we need to like each other in the mirror. really, so important, otherwise we cannot love others. Great writing! Loved.

[jeff hackworth]

i loved the turning point in this poem

[Donna DeLong Matthews a..]

if thru ones life one gains wisdom it can never be
considered a waste... This was very deep and so
enlightening at the same time.. Had it not been for
your past this would have never made it here to your
present. So I for one with this writing can not regret
your past.
Awesome write my friend
Hugs
D