Robert Longley

It used to be so easy
And then something changed
All you took for granted
Is suddenly rearranged
...

It’s times like these we question
The choices that we make
When left to our devices
We can’t right our mistakes
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Cast a line or two for me
In a lake, or stream or salted sea
I like it out there on the boat
It’s nice to dream or sit and float
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Isn’t this amusing
and sometimes so absurd
Life is full of anticipation
Yet not often heard
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Many times I faltered
And many times I’d fall
But each time you were with me
To get me through it all
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Each step on the journey
Brings wonderment and joy
And every step means possibilities
For every girl and boy
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Carry proud my banner
In every game you play
And know that a cure
Is never far away
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Everything has purpose
All is pure design
Just because it’s quiet
Don’t see as not a sign
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Gather round my family
One more time for me
Celebrate the season
As you light the Christmas tree
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You know I am still with you
This day and many more
Though watching from a distance
For all that’s yet in store
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All I ever wanted
All my hopes and dreams
Cast in you this moment
At least that’s how it seems
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Don’t look quite so closely
You’ll find that you can’t see
Don’t stare directly at the sun
When you look for signs of me
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Don’t bow to the impatience
Don’t crumble neath the weight
Don’t give into confusion
Or thoughts you’ve had of late
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And so you see the footprints
That end without a trace
No longer will a shadow
Be cast within this place
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It is within the journey
We sometimes walk alone
It sometimes brings us closer
To things that we have known
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Hopes are often fleeting
Passions often lost
Dreams gone in an instant
And we’re left to weigh the cost
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All the dreams you cherished
All that you hold dear
Shattered in a moment
By loss and pain and fear
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It’s everything I taught you
It’s everything I know
It’s everything I hoped for
Wrapped into a bow
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All in all it’s not that bad
This thing we call being a dad
You get to see your children grow
And try to teach them things you know
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Tugging at the layers
Peeling towards the core
There’s something at the center
There’s something else in store
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