Fearing Failure - dedicated to the Seniors of 2011

There you are
sitting with your head
held up
because it is heavy
and it has to be
held
up.

Heavy with those burdens
and that baggage
and those fears
that you carry
inside you.

I know what you are afraid of
I can see it.
I know you are afraid
of utter failure
of complete collapse
and disappointing
people
I know how it is.

It’s human,
to fear failure
but that doesn’t make it alright.
I’m here to say

stop.

You are not allowed
to fear
failure.
you are not allowed
to let it loom
over your head
like a February day.
You are not allowed to live
in such fear
that you never bother trying
and you forget to live.

we have been cradled for so long
protected from
the healthy cuts and bruises
that life will give us
and they tell us to look
before we leap
look before you leap
because the water is too deep
but I say no,

you jump,

just first
learn how to swim.

Do not
be afraid
to fail.

People ask you questions
and when was the last time
you answered
without hesitation
without a pause to worry
if you were going to
get
it
wrong?
What if you do not
give them the answer
they wanted
and they hated you?

No one is going to hate you.
look at you,
how could anyone hate you?

Do not look at the world like
Jesus
what do you want from me
I have nothing left to give,
no, you can’t look at people
like that
because all they want
is your
company.
You’re such great company.

And I know people
who have been to
rock bottom
who have described it
to me
who have told me
about their journey
down
how slippery the cliff walls were
how they smelled like sewage
and salt
and it always seems to me
Rock bottom
could make a nice foundation
for building up.

Let me tell you a secret.

You cannot fail at living life.
There is no wrong answer
because there is no
right answer.

It’s true,
life will knock you down
and you will get those
healthy cuts and bruises
I was telling you about
and you will shake your fists
at the stars
and demand answers
and yes
you will cry a little bit
but it’s alright,

you can write a poem about it.