Look (A Plea)

Look over there
There’s a little girl lost in the trees
She’s splashing in puddles
And diving into the fall leaves

Look over there
There’s a woman all wrinkled and gray
Her eyes are clear and wise
Her life, a cherished prize
She’s the beauty that lies in decay

Look over here
On the floorboards, you’re splayed like a sheet
Face a cruel blue, drool spilling through
A bottle of pills at your feet

Please look, can’t you see
The girl and the woman are you
The future’s not past
And though this life will not last
It’s here and it’s waiting for you

Life’s not a game
The object is neither happiness nor love
No hedons or points,
Likes, comments, or coins
Tallied on some scoreboard above

Life isn’t work
And it surely isn’t just play
Not to gratify the self
Or to serve someone else
Yet it’s all of these things in some way

I guess what it is that I’m saying
Is we just do not know
But we can take a stand
Make the best of our hand
Why fold when there’s still room to grow?
Why choose darkness when there’s still time to glow?