On Turning Forty____

Someone said, “Now you’ve turned forty-, What have you learned? Your experience must be varied, Your fingers quite burned. You must’ve gone through troubled times, Of disappointments you’d’ve quite a share; But how does life’s learning For your future prepare?” I looked at my questioner With a baleful and gloomy stare, Not with anger or reproach; There was no fire in my glare. “Life, son,” I told him, “Is what is learnt alone, All advice from others Is crumbs to a beggar thrown. It’s what one takes out of life That matters much more. One’s own experience is what counts, Go, knock on it’s stubborn door! I’ve been sitting where you sit, Asked the same riddle as you do; But was pointed out a direction And left to steer a course that’s true. The helmsman determines the course, The rudder needs control; It’s how you determine your goal And steer from the treacherous shoal. So don’t ask of experience, Test the waters on your own; Find a guiding star to steer by Don’t wait for it to be shown. And when you, too, turn forty- Think back and count your deeds – The path you’ve trod is well behind, Look ahead, move on, you’ll know where your future leads!