Bumping Up Against
by Michael Doyle

Bumping up against the edges
Toes reaching out over the ledges
The quest is given up for the ideal
As we learn to settle for the real

The higher grounds are out of bounds
As we seek to find further sounds
That will allow us to play what we hear
Past the boundaries of all we fear

Despite all the reading, we failed the test
Finding ourselves no better than the rest
The chaos and contradiction make become sense
Now that we've given up the pretense

We learned it all, lashing out note by note
Bracing our minds and fingers to learn by rote
Wishing to become our idols instead of our voice
It may be we're better off to make our own choice

The new paths are found by our mistakes
Just as love is learned by our heartbreaks
Incidentally heathens lost in the wilderness
We found deeper truths in pursuing our ignorance

Despite all the reading, we failed the test
Finding ourselves no better than the rest
The chaos and contradiction make become sense
Now that we've given up the pretense

The pain cuts deep between our dreams and who we are
As we bleed our fingers to the bone on our guitars
Finding that despite all of our hours of dedication
If we try to be someone else, we'll fail the expectation

It is better instead to play what we find in our hearts
Despite it seems, many of what feel like false starts
The ghosts in our clocks wish they could turn back
But it turns out, belief is the only thing we lacked

(c) March 29, 2025   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved