Erin Cowart Poet Free verse

The Smolder

I have a safe life
We all want safe
Get a little job
Pay a little bill
With just a little paycheck
That will never be enough to buy
Freedom

We play at freedom
Convinced that we have no chains
Only to find in the quiet moments
That life is chains
And that is the secret
We can never speak

If we utter the truth
It would break us
So we live little lives
And teach our children to be little
When the whole point was to be big

The whole point was
There was no point
The answer to life is
To be life
To be so big that there is no room for anything else

Not many people can do that
People are content to be small
Content with just enough
Being just enough
Doing just enough
So that they do not have to see or be seen

The most dangerous man
Realizes this
And sets fire to his life
Walks away while the ashes
Of what was his life
Are still smoldering

We should all smolder 
Once in our lives
I haven't had a good smolder 
In years
Maybe ever

Somedays I am brave enough
To pick up the matches
Strike them
And wonder what
Would happen if I just
Let them fall

Other days
I cannot find a fire
Or desire
And even a flamethrower
Could not set my world ablaze

Perhaps one day
I will stop being weak
And burn the whole thing down
Quietly walk away
And be big in a small world

But today I sit
At my little job
To collect a little paycheck
To pay a little bill
And dream of freedom

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John Gondolf July 30, 2020 at 8:19 AM I think the key to happiness is to learn to live and to thrive within what is our life, learn to accept our little job and our little paycheck. We can't all be a Warren Buffet or a Bill Gates. Just my humble thoughts. Welcome to Poetry Soup, Erin, I look forward to reading more of your poetry. John John Gondolf July 30, 2020 at 12:23 PM Glad to hear it was just "one of those days" and not a permanent condition. Yes, we all have those days. When I write about them, I can't post it because it has too many cuss words. :) Erin Cowart July 30, 2020 at 11:56 AM Most of the time I would say that I agree with you. Then I have those days where it all just seems too much and I wish for things to be different. This poem just captured "one of those days" that I am sure we all have from time to time. I appreciate your feed back and encouragement and look forward to reading your work as well. Erin