when i wake to the morning
self-control says to me, ‘the only card in your deck is mine,
and always i place it in your hand.’
and when i tredge my consciousness from haziness
i open my eyes to see childhood
who sits on the edge of the bed of my mind
amidst the toys and the old memories
watching me
and he says to me,
‘in every morning the sun rises,
and always the best thing to do is greet her with a smile.’
and childhood dances in the footsteps of self-control
exists in the spaces between him
in the little pieces of leeway i’m given,
that is childhood
and self-control is the rigid
to his flexibility
the bones to his muscle
and then self-control says to me, ‘do all the things the day requires, everyday, forever-days.’
and then childhood says to me, ‘it will be miserable.’
and self-control says, ‘do it miserable, if you must.’
and childhood says, ‘because it will not be so miserable once its done.’