Judgement Call Poem by bryan wallace

Common sense -
It is less common than we think.
Yet we all think that we have it
In abundance.

That we gain more of it year by year,
It should grow within us as we grow.
Age supposedly brings wisdom
And wise counsel we should give
To those younger than ourselves.

Yet our sage advice they ignore
Just as we ignored those who went before us.
We learn something new day by day.
Yet the value of that which we learn
Often has little real-world value
And weighs us down -
Much like the trouser pocket
That's full of copper coins.
The hard currency -
That doesn't buy much
In the corner shop of life.

Other people rarely know what's best
For us, no matter how strong their conviction.
Common sense told us -
That the world was flat.

Perhaps we should trust our own instincts,
Our own gut-feeling that tells us
What is best for us -
It may not always be right
But it's by our own mistakes that we learn.

Have confidence in ourselves -
Trust our own judgement
Take other's views on board
But don't take them as gospel.
Follow our instincts and judgement
Learn from but don't dwell on the mistakes.