New Trick Poem by Paul Reed

You play a new trick every morning

To try and deceive me

Your feet make a new dance

To render me weak and dizzy

But what you don't know

Is the depth of my willpower

How far I can go

How long extends my hour;



You think today will be your day

To finally defeat me

That you will wear the garlands

Of a sweet victory

But each time you fall short

Each time you just fail

To end my stormy voyage

To lower my billowed sail;



How you must anticipate each phase

To renew your lowly fight

How you must relish the chance

To extinguish the magic light

But you never get there, do you?

Cross that finishing line

The next day still dawns anew

The sun continues to shine;



I am not going to ask you to relent

Get on my knees and beg

To reach out and hand me

The baton for the next leg

Instead I will keep searching inwards

To my indestructible core

To strengthen it yet further

To just survive once more.