Hundred Year Day
THE HUNDRED YEAR DAY
by
JOHN M. ARRIBAS
In three more minutes they’ll open the gate
I’ll wait in my car going over my slate
It’s been six long years and it’s not over yet
I’m wagering my future I need to win this bet
I’m clean today for now that’s all I can say
I’ll not let anything lead me astray, I pray
There’s a monkey clamped tightly on my back
A junkies lifelong companion ever on the attack
It’s hard, but I resist the urge to surrender
To the wildfires scorching a psyche so tender
An avalanche of past errors leap to the fore
But I’ll brush them aside as many times before
Today I’ll get high by not getting high
That’s easy to say but so tricky to comply
I don’t care what other people say, but I do
That may be the reason my hopes never grew
When I’m weakening I need to stop and think
Recurring memories drove me to the brink
Luckily I met a good woman who understood
That pulling together we’d both do good
I won’t disappoint her or myself, I’ll try
The baggage is heavy it’s no pie in the sky
Old negative urges I’ve learned to dismiss
Are guiding my steps to avoid the abyss
Each day that passes strengthens resolve
To stay on course and continue involved
In my own battle with the demons inside
To regain my dignity to restore my pride
I hold them at bay if for only one day
I ignore them that’s the strategy I play
Twenty four hours can be pleasure for some
Or a melange of worry when under the gun
Each twenty four hours challenge my fate
I need to stay vigilant, they’ve opened the gate
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