etc.

growing up,

I never wanted the

normal things,

money, good job, family, etc.,

my vision was always a stage,

playing rock and roll music

in front of huge cheering crowds,

with everyone who never believed (in me),

who never thought I’d be much of anything,

old girl friends, parents, teachers, etc.,

sitting in the front row;

realizing just how wrong

they had been;

it was this vision

that made me play so hard

in sports,

even though I could have

cared less about winning

or losing,

it was the roar of a crowd

during a touchdown run,

or game winning hit

that I lived for,

and even though I talked about

all the other things,

teamwork, hustle, hard work, etc.,

it was all bullshit,

it was never about anything

but adulation;

and payback;

my life was a lie then,

just as it is today,

as I go to my dead end job,

pretending to be a good husband,

father, co-worker, etc.,

talking about right and wrong,

morality, beliefs, etc.,

telling my daughter about teamwork,

hustle, hard work, etc.,

when inside I’m still standing

on that stage,

looking down on thousands

of screaming, adoring fans,

old girlfriends, parents, teachers, etc.,

screaming into the microphone;

“see!”

“you were wrong

all the time!”

.

.