Another Year Gone By... Poem by Jamie Sidwell

Another Year Gone By...



Another Christmas come and gone, another year has ended
Another useless hangover cure that some jerk recommended.
You stumble blindly to the john, you barely feel alive
You stand and wait... and wait... and wait... you're over forty-five.


Your wife comes in to brush her teeth, you look at her and blink
She says hello and lets you know you're peeing in the sink.
She walks away and leaves you gazing dumbly in the mirror
Your youthful dreams seem further now and middle age much nearer.


You peer into those eyes that once were full of vim and vigour
The fire within them smaller now, the bags beneath them bigger
You wonder why your hopes and dreams are now outweighed by fears
And you wonder why the hell you've got hair growing on your ears.


You wonder how you got here and you wonder where you're going
You wonder 'bout those Christmas bills and how much you'll be owing.
And you wonder maybe, just a bit, if life would have been better
If your wife was somehow different or perhaps you hadn't met her.


And what might you have done without those kids to tie you down
You might have seen the world, instead of just this little town.
You might've been a somebody, you might've left a mark
Instead of bright and beautiful, the New Year now seems dark.


You plod downstairs into a world predictable and bland
Everything is smaller now, except your prostate gland.
Toys and games lie everywhere, the place looks in near riot
Oh, look! The dog's thrown up again and the kids all walked right by it.


You stand there staring blankly and your head begins to reel
And the only thing you're feeling is the Lego 'neath your heel
And as a shroud of hopelessness creeps up your frontal lobe
You feel a gentle tugging somewhere down on your bathrobe.


And no it's not your underwear and no it's not your bladder
And so you turn your aching head to see what is the matter.
Little hands are reaching, wiggling fingers frame a face
that in one pluperfect picture fixes you in time and space.


Then comes a 'Morning daddy' coupled with a sticky kiss
And you realize how could a life be wasted making this.
And with that newfound knowledge comes a brand new pair of eyes
And the chance to see your world in all its true tremendous size.

And all at once you're richer than your life has ever been.
And that woman drinking coffee in the kitchen is a Queen.
And the noise and mess around you are a bounty without measure
For it's how he loves and who he loves that give a man his treasure.


For glory isn't salary or where you work or live
It's friendship and it's family, and it's how much that we give.
Happiness will not be found in stuff that we've stockpiled
And the best mark anyone can leave is a happy, healthy child.

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Jamie Sidwell

Jamie Sidwell

Kansas City Kansas
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