Commitments

Change seems to happen fast
But really alterations come on slow
A creeping tide that you watch approaching from afar
Marveling at the grace of the crashing waves
And suddenly it's there
Got you all cornered and stuck
With no escape in sight
Leaving you backed up against the rocks
You were admiring a minute ago.
It just happens, every day anew
a surprise you know you're getting
Your heart beats a little faster
Your senses lost to the enormity of what you've done
What you've accomplished
Of the mess on your hands
The tidiness of this situation
The door straight on
Up ahead and to the right
That you can't approach without sacrificing
Some of that hard earned self doubt
And on with the new day
The difference a choice can make in a moment
A signature, a promise, a wish fulfilled
How many times have they told you to be careful
What you wish for
What you dare
How you change
From one year to the next
Almost imperceptible
But it's there in how you speak
How you word your answers
How you carry all those missed opportunities on your shoulders
And promise every time that you will miss no more
That you will seize the day
The moment, the chances as they come
Even if you have to lie, mostly to yourself
That you know what you're doing
That you know the risk involved
That you understand how it feels
To be stuck between the tide and the cliffs behind
With no way out
The joy of this particular type of bondage
Silently awaiting the salt water to engulf
What you've fought so hard to build
Morning can come with two scenarios
The victim who fell prey to promises of a better life
Or the victor
Who saw the opportunity and took it
At any and every price
Be proud of being brave
Not scared of being wrong.