When I look back on my early days <br />And contemplate my wild, wild ways: <br />The hands upon my shoulder laid <br />Were brushed aside, I wouldn't play; <br /> <br />I was wild, wild, wild, a willful child, <br />I was fierce, hard pressed, devoid of style, <br />I often laughed when I should have smiled; <br />And lacking role, I lived by guile. <br /> <br />I was pulled and lured, a boy of charm, <br />A naïve kid straight off the farm, <br />Unsocialized, who slept in barns, <br />A vagrant apt to cause alarm. <br /> <br />But worst of all, I had ideals, <br />I wouldn’t rat, I wouldn’t squeal, <br />I wouldn’t trade my soul in deals <br />To guarantee rich restaurant meals. <br /> <br />Too late I learned to be socialized, <br />But even then I couldn’t lie, <br />I looked on evil with scornful eyes, <br />And made to pay for all my pride. <br /> <br />Now that I’m old, my soul’s intact, <br />Having weathered such harsh attacks, <br />And all because of a lack of tact, <br />I am the model that I lacked.<br /><br />David McLansky<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/when-i-look-back-5/
