There was a time
when I knew it all
my course was clear
I'd never fall
The future stretched
like a ribbon of light
an endless procession
of possibles and mights

Then the world intruded
knocked me down a peg or two
and before I could shake a stick at it
I learned I didn't have a clue

And so I sit
here in the rubble
assumptions shattered
like hollow glass
the shards around me
all representing
things I thought would come to pass

As I pick them up
One by one
or sometimes two by two
Some of the edges cut
some truths are a little too new

But every one of these is a lesson learned
time I've spent, pain I've earned
Ideals bent, battered and dented
But some still shiny new
a little room for contentment
But no matter the cost
or the bottom line
these triumphs and tragedies
are all mine