this is not a finished poem in poetry

wisdom is realizing you’re never going to be wise all of the time
no matter how much experience you’ve got up your sleeve
revise revise revise

Einstein close to the nature of reality used it to blow up cities
but in his off-hours had a terrible tendency to
drop trow for any woman willing to ignore his hair-cut
even David Bowie sliced his hand when
someone put a knife in the spoon drawer
Jimmy Carter probably yet
had a stash of porno mags back before the internet

wisdom is knowing the difference between
not compromising because you’re stubborn and
not compromising because the thing you’re doing
is the only thing you’re really any good at
wisdom is knowing to share what you learned
while fucking up ten thousand different ways
prodigies who get it right off the bat
don’t have much wisdom to pass
they’re just that good maybe they can’t know why
maybe figuring out why would ruin their whole vibe
there’s nothing for them to pass along just instinct and drive
the cool aunts and uncles who screwed up every day they were alive
they had to figure it out along the way
they’re the ones who have something to say
wisdom is knowing that everything is a process
everything exists in a process
you’re going to keep screwing up along the way
learning a little more every day every time
two steps forward one step back is the path of the wise
revise revise revise

you’re going to make mistakes
if you’re paying attention they will make you better
you will keep making mistakes keep making them forever
at least as long as you’re alive
all you can do is honestly try to fix them
maybe you’ll make less over time

wisdom isn’t in the first draft
of a song or a book or our lives
wisdom’s the process of getting better
revise revise revise

Last updated May 05, 2016