The Fullest Life

I’ve never been a lover,

I’ve never been a fighter,

I’ve never ruled a kingdom,

I’ve never had a queen,

I’ve never been the victim,

of anyone but me.

I’ve never had a reason

to seize the world outside.

I’ve always loved to live,

but I’ve never really tried,

I’ve always craved adventure,

but I’ve lived a secret life

behind a mask of good intentions

as a social butterfly,

who never really flew at all,

who never wondered why,

who felt alone with many friends,

who couldn’t say goodbye,

who thought himself a moth because

he believed a selfish lie,

who robbed himself of confidence

while he waited for a sign,

who tripped upon his ego,

who swore at the divine

as if the heavens owed him part

of the stars or of the sky.

And then one day he learned something

that changed his sickly mind:

You cannot wait on destiny

to make you come alive.

Your fate is not a little game

the gods play like a child.

Your life is yours and yours alone

so spread your wings and fly.

Don’t ask for change if you don’t want

to fix what’s wrong inside.

I’ve never been an insect;

that cocoon was never mine,

just a place I thought was home

until I really came alive.

I don’t believe in fate.

You choose your paths in life.

Destiny is laziness;

the lazy wait to die.

Don’t wait for life to happen,

it will only pass you by.

Make a simple choice:

Go from moth to butterfly.

You may not change the world,

but, then again, you might.

You alone are responsible

for how you spend your time.

If we take command of what we can

then maybe you and I

could end the dream and really start

to live the fullest life.