Leaving This World

I’ve looked and watched you turn away Seeing things you’ve long denied I grabbed the lion by his mane Staring through the devil’s eye I bought a one-way ticket While never looking back I’ve sailed and searched the roughest seas My rigging often slack I gave away all that I had And asked for nothing more I played the game and damned the rules Rejecting any score I stole my fate back from the wind Which blew from side to side And asking once my only wish... —to leave this world alive (Villanova Pennsylvania: July, 2018)