Getting Everybody On Board

Getting Everybody on Board, Is not always possible, When boats need to cast off their moorings, Planes need to clear the runway, Trains need to stay on track, Busses need to please more than one passenger, And cars need to avoid gridlock. A ranging fire waits for no one, An exploding volcano respects no boundaries, A wall of water gives little time for anyone to step back, A wind at its fiercest will not always be gentle to those in its path, And any object travelling towards us at speed, May not have the ability to wait for us to decide it is time to move. Why then do so many not heed the call, To move out of harm's way, When the danger is real, And the consequences of ignoring that call, Can be too often permanent. Did we forget to tell them? That life can be snuffed out in an instant, Or did we teach them they are the exception, And nobody can tell them what to do, Or could it be that the virtual world has a reset button, And the real world does not. Which brings me to these conclusions: That if children are overprotected, From the dangers in the real world, They will come to expect that same protection, As adults. That there is a case for consequences in the real world, For decisions made in the virtual world, Is that something that merits further investigation? That every extra person we get on board, Is a win, Even when we know that there is a cut off point, That death stalks those who lag behind.