John Vespasian - I NEVER ASKED FOR PERMISSION: A POEM ABOUT SELF-RELIANCE

I was once a kid who turned around
to ask strangers in the crowd
what should I choose, where should I go
but wrong directions got me lost in the snow

Someone must know, someone should tell
every chicken when to break the shell
maybe a wise old man in Tibet or Brazil
I sought long and far, but I found nil

Time passed and I grew tall but insecure
since for my curiosity, there was no cure
always on the look for a sign I could trust
to determine what I should and what I must

Please, Sir, may I, under conditions
work day and night and hold some ambitions
I posed my question, found no audition,
never got a chance to ask for permission

Without credentials, all doors are closed
I was told repeatedly by friends and foes
but since we live in times of transition
I shrugged my shoulders and forgot tradition

Without contacts, you cannot succeed
I was told by experienced men of every breed
but since I was too busy to submit a petition
I just moved on to the next position

From all the people that I've left behind
I have never seen one who was able to find
the strength and passion to go on a mission
for which there was no clear price of admission

On some occasions, I have really wondered
if I was on my way to make a huge blunder
but both my feelings and my volition
tell me now it's too late to ask for permission

So here I am, so close to the top,
after turning every doubt into an early crop
Would I have pushed my dreams to fruition
if I had waited for the right disposition?

It is through your mistakes that you will learn
nothing is more precious than what you earn
It is what you do that deserves recognition
not what you give up due to imposition

It is through your actions that you will see
if your goals are worth paying the fee
Are you ready to let go of inhibition,
willing to stand up and face opposition?

Wake up, drop your hesitations, and move,
never questioning what you are able to prove,
for permissions that you don't request
won't reduce endorsements of your quest

Don't hang around at the station,
jump on the train to your destination
Take this cue and wait no longer,
grow stronger through what you do,
present and future belong both to you

[Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com]

[Image by dalbera under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]