It took a lot
Hard work
Sacrifice
To get where I am
No cars, no clothes
No name
But here I am
Knowing that’s all meaningless
Because I never planned
To use them to define
Where I am
There was a time
I knew everything
Sitting here
From the vantage point of time
Telling my protégé
As we look down
On the plain below us
There I am
Confident
Because I am
The dream
The nightmare
Not seeing
Maybe I saw
But didn’t understand
Why they thought I was
The weird I am
Led to me losing
Everything
Knowing that at one point
I had everything
I thought it was fair
But damn
It happened
At the worst time possible
Life was hard as it was
But it got worse if possible
Is possible
Then I melted
Soluble
Science
I was talking about my mind
Was fallible
Led to mistakes
Addable
Math
But that was the best
I could do
I snapped
And it was audible
As I turned to my protégé
From my vantage point of time
And said
There I am
Beware I am
At the bottom of the barrel
And there is nothing but crabs
Where I am
You wouldn’t think I would make it
Where I am
My experiences
Made me see
So let’s be clear
I am
Not defined by what I wear
Or my hair
As seen by the eyes or the ears
Of man
I no longer have time
For petty cares
Where I am
I speak less
Do more
Stronger than I’ve ever been
Where I am
And that should
Have been the last line
But here I am
Getting choked up
Happy
Grateful
From the vantage point of time
I look up
Telling my protégé
As the sky flickers
And we get a glimpse of the future
There I am