i went back to december 1992
and i looked at –
what i had written
in days when i was seventeen
and i wrote ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ poetry

have you seen the world lately
its tears
cannot quench the wildfires
that continue to burn

if you want some advice
as i rummage through my life
and if i think about my own experiences
then all i can say,
is do not bend and alter you shape

i have been written off –
a thousand times
inappropriately cast in a thousand plays
where i never knew my lines
and i could not improvise what to say