Beginnings, Middles, Endings
Peek in my studio to see beginnings, middles, and endings. This poem, however, is about more than my artwork—even if it might have caused the thoughts behind the words…
Beginnings are good
There’s hope, adventure, anticipation—all that interesting stuff
A new puppy
A new school year
A new pair of shoes
A new relationship
Middles stir indifference, doubt, delay—things we wish to avoid
They drag or they race—dreams held onto or dreams lost
A mid-term exam
A report half-written
An unfinished book
An intermission
And then there’s endings
The ones that come too soon, and the ones that come too late
Vacation over
Plate empty
Verdict given
Timed out
Priorities are different for everyone
And, it’s all in how we handle the lot we’re dealt
There’s so much that we can do, and there’s so much we can’t
Attitude makes a difference, so does effort
Some of us cope better than others
Some of us try harder than others
Some of us understand
And, some of us don’t
If you’ve been there, you’ll know what I’m saying
And if you haven’t, you may have a better idea of what’s ahead
We’re all so different
But we’re all so the same
Life being, too often, a challenging game
There’s winners and losers
No one having a real say about which side they’re on
Then there’s the times when no one wins or loses
Everyone ties
Beginnings, middles, and endings come to us all—eventually
And, like it or not
Some spend longer in each phase
Some are luckier in one phase than another
Some learn from experience
Some never will.
