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Choice

If you're looking for change, 
don’t wait for kindness to reward you, 
or for broken systems to apologize. 
Look in the mirror, 

Ask yourself 
if today was built on truth.
The kids we tried to help
I wish I could give them softer starts. 

But the truth? 
Even with soft starts 
Life can lead to hard ends 
If you run the wrong way.

Drugs don’t just cost you money. 
They cost you memory. 
Opportunity. 
The look in your child’s eyes 

When dinner’s late 
again, they wonder why. 
Drugs cost your dignity.
The price is never negotiable.

The choice lands squarely 
on your shoulders. 
And when you're grown, 
No matter how bad your beginning, 

Your decisions ripple outward. 
Into your lover's dreams. 
Into your child's life. 
Into someone else’s heartbreak.

So start with honesty. 
Build a skill. 
Hold a job. 
If you’ve got pain, 

Don’t feed it poison,
write it, 
sing it, 
run through it, 

But don’t let it eat your future.
Because improving your life 
It isn’t magic. 
It’s work. 
And that work begins

When you stop blaming everyone else 
and start building a life.
You wish someone had built for you.
A child with a plan can build success

Reading to your child 
builds their ability to read
Don't just blame teachers 
because you didn't do your share 

Teaching your children 
to catch and hit a ball 
teaches coordination 
They didn't ask to be born 

Your arguments and fights
destroy their world 
Fear can create damage 
Anger creates fear 

Alcohol, drugs, and smokes 
Addictions cost money
family money 
The money for food and nappies 

your arguments 
create an emotional toll
an emotional roller coaster 
As your family comes close to breaking 

Don't blame others
for your mistakes 
Don't blame others 
because you're broke 

Your choice made your life
whose choice is creating your family's life 
Every day, we make a choice 
Better choices create better lives 
 




 









Copyright © Bernard Barclay

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Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry