Spare A Thought For…
The future is bright and offers infinite opportunities,
Whose limitations and extent defined by your limitations,
Dare to dream a dream of hope,
Of a better future,
Along the corridors in Silicon Valley for the techies,
In fatigues in Fort Knox in the service of the nation,
The boisterous crowds await your touchdown at the buzzer
The Capitol Hill beckons
With its filibuster speeches and bipartisan debates
Albums on top charts,
Rave movie reviews,
The Oscars
Grammies!
Purple Hearts
Gold medals
The account swells with the bucks
But,
Spare a thought for…
The journey ahead is perilous, hectic and scandalous,
Temptations far beyond the high school prom,
Beyond the hormone-fuelled high octane tackles and body slams,
Beyond the classroom assignments and lab experiments,
The debates on the Hill cast a pale shadow
Over the classroom debates and lessons
Sleepless nights await
As the bosses await,
Your novel and game changing application
The game winning formula, formation and game plan
Competitive edge gaining marketing strategy
Everyone awaits,
The landlord,
Family
The boss
Even your bank account groans
But,
Spare a thought for…
Cultivate good character and remember your training
Merge and weld hard work into your heart
Let integrity be your foundational dogma
Learn new but forget not the past,
For old is gold despite rust,
Fondly cuddle flexibility,
For there are no fixed goal posts,
The corporate sector evolves with evolving technologies,
The vortex of winning strategy shifts
Like a revolving door it’s singly multifaceted
The bosses, fans and family scream for more
New songs, albums and movies
Must always be in the pipeline
New dunking style
Higher profit margins
A new tackle for every game is normal\
But,
I beseech thee spare a thought for…
Young and talented you are,
A passionate fire of ambition burns through your soul,
Like a volcano it yearns to erupt,
Its molten magma of endless possibilities
Flowing through the infinite valley of opportunities.
But ambitions without plans are mirages,
Visible from far yet far from visible
Goals without plans are fallible,
Ghostly illusions that will haunt to your grave
A goal with a plan is a padlock a master key with,
Every locked cringes under its touch
So aim high
And attract the ire of doomsayers
And angels of pessimism
Negativity
Retrogression and tunnel vision champions
But in all these,
I pray you spare a thought for…
The world is a blank sheet of paper,
Make your mark with diligence and unwavering devotion
To the truths and morals
Your were taught,
From the stories you read,
From the histories and biographies you read,
Recall the precious knowledge,
You scarred and scoured the books for,
Embrace new ideas and new friends,
But do not be too swayed by the new trends,
They may disappear in a whisker,
For they are as a secretive as a whisper.
They nudge,
And nag,
They clutches,
With their fading lives they want immortality,
But I know,
You will spare a thought for…
High school is a leaf,
Soon the bells’ sound will be stifled
By the hustles and bustles of ageing,
The noisy school halls will metamorphose into conference rooms
With every montage on the walls,
A price list, a bucket list and unattained goals and duties
Exams turn into interviews and meetings,
The locker rooms into office desks
Assignments into piles of reports and documents
Team pep talks into strategic meetings
Lab experiments into field trials
For now,
Imagine it,
Paint it,
Grow it,
Nurture and learn it yesterday and live today for tomorrow
So I plead,
Please spare a thought for…
Youth is delightful and playful,
Full of dreams and endless opportunities
A suitable canvas for painting a future,
The opportune time to seize the moment,
To imagine the unimaginable,
To discover and unlock your potential
To create tomorrows unknown and unimagined.
Let the vivacity and robustness lead your path
But with caution and rationality decide.
Refine your skills and abstain from obstinacy,
Imbibe the waters of wisdom of the old and the wise,
Network,
Model,
Explore
Experiment,
Discern
Lie low standing tall to be molded
And I know,
You will spare a thought for…
Son,
Spare a thought for those who touched your life,
For the teachers and classmates,
The prom dates,
Remember the teachings of your parents,
Recall the lessons learned during field trips,
The Super Bowl,
The Concert,
History classes and science fairs.
Remember the noisy halls,
Lockers and chairs,
Remember all,
They are the foundation of your ambitions
They hold the key to your goals and plans.
They will guide the strokes of your brush,
As you paint on the canvas of your life.
Yes son,
I pray that you spare a thought to think,
Meditate and dream,
Dream big, yes dream big
But think big,
With your heart,
Head,
Emotionally
And rationally
Ethically,
Professionally too
Merge the two and two
And the puzzles of your future
Will fit like a jigsaw puzzle.