Capacity

Delirium takes the preemptive strike

as fluvial daydreams invade your brain:

You are aware that you are only young

with aspirations far beyond your capacity.

Taking extra care to avoid the foolish,

taking on labors that need taken on.

You are falling behind at the rate of a rocket,

observing from the ground as others elevate.

While others will lift, you may take in

as your talent for taking in is ignored.

You're much too aware that you are only young

but your capacity seems already filled.

Yet tonight is delirium, and tomorrow is labor.

Tomorrow you make your own world.

Reviews

[Mark]

"...tonight is delirium, and tomorrow is labor."
In other words have your fun, and make the most of it, because it's not going to last long--"Today you play, tomorrow you pay!"

I especially liked the "fluvial daydreams" line--I actually had to go to Mr. Webster on that! A continual stream, an onrushing tide, o'ersweeping your brain. A very valid description of the not-always-practicable notions of the young and invulnerable!

I saw a recurring theme in the verb "take", used in several different contexts, but never unified into a central thought. Was this accidental, or might it be something you wanted to work toward?

[Coyote Poetry]

Your poem touched a hard question. Being young does it make you weaker in possible deeds. I believe the young are more powerful then we think. My generation fought to stop the Vietnam war. Then they faded away to greed and dream of wealth. Today world is my generation error for doing nothing. Today children are already fighting for the water, earth and sky. They see the world we left for them. Your last line should be. The world of today is the world that the children of today must fix because of the waste of 100 years of abuse. A powerful poem. You made me think again.
Coyote