Here is Where I Am

Could have been famous, so I've always said
Those Hollywood notions still mess with my head
Should be free of them by now, I suppose
Just takes accepting the life that I chose

Paths come together, and then they diverge
Drought always leads to some great demiurge
Crossed wires connecting one thing to the next
Building new circuits where no one suspects

Could have made money, or more than I do
But then I wouldn't have what I've been through
Could start all over, and trust all to chance
Despite Thoreau's quip about new pairs of pants

Paths run together, and then they part ways
Hard to judge where they lead there through the haze
One trail seems easy, deceptively so
Each single step leads to what you don't know

Could have made much wiser use of my brain
Sounds like my mother's recurring refrain
Gone to Columbia, Juilliard, Yale
Available options, now beyond the pale

Roads intersect, and they head off apart
North and East intellect, South and West, heart
Could have done better, but no, never mind
Here is where I am, and right here is fine.

10 SEP 2003