The excesses of youth
....have ever been my paramour
....and they, leading down into the abyss of self-destruction,
....were reeled in when I came upon a sudden friend.
Offering an alternative to my perplexities,
....he led me into a new life
....with nothing more than a few subtle words.
Neither philosopher nor sage was he,
....but a common layman,
....who, having driven in the parallel lane to me,
....saw the same 18-wheeler careening, head-on, toward us.
Once I was in a rock & roll band,
....and all the girls swooned, and all the guys were green.
Once I tasted a moment of glory and fame,
....if only a moment.
Once I was a self-made man,
....plying my trade, making my own way
....through the tides and cycles of my inheritance.
It was, truly, a roller-coaster ride with no end in sight.
Now I sail the seas.
....The vessel rocks me gently like mother.
The beauty soothes away the apparent age written on my forehead.
....I am reborn fully grown, alive!
I serve two masters happily
....for the robber barons pay my wage
....while my children sleep safely,
....wanting for naught.
and the sea..... ah, newfound love,
rekindling the passion buried deep inside,
to be revealed upon returning home
to my bride.”
