RACING WITH THE DEVIL

When I was a young man
A heedless headlong consumer of life, was I
Above and beyond the norm or necessity
I wore paths deep and wide
To the pleasure centres of my brain
And I rode my soul like an easy w***e
Oh happy daze of hedonism
How sweet life tasted then

If there was drink to drink
We drank it
If there were songs to sing
We sang them
If there were fights to fight
We fought them
We had fast feet and faster wits
If there was hell to raise
We raised it
Excess and adventure in equal parts
How fast, how high we flew back then

And the the magic playground
Became a bleak and dangerous place
Peopled by predators and prey
In an ever changing food chain
And I was only one step away 
From the totally oblivious
One brain cell ahead of
The permanent reality challenged
Then friends began casually dying 
Barely noticed in the rush to join them
Now the race is on
And I have grown old and slow

         By Phil Roberts

Reviews

[Relic]

~It often takes time to see the dangers and perils of our 'one for all, and all for one' ways. That usually comes when it is too late, and our comrades have faded away into their graves. This certainly captures the essence of a trait that is quite common and a reality that is tough to take. ~

[Kelsey Schadt]

I am impressed by this piece. The message is simple, and as a teen I would constantly hear about how we think we are immortal, but I feel like the wisdom of someone who lived and experienced immortality fading makes this even more poignant,

[Daydreamer]

This poem was very edgy and raw. It captured so many truths, reminds me of my hell-raising days during my youth. Where we were young and didn't give a _ _ _ _....

[mattavelli]

I really like it, Phil. Your story is interesting and flows well. I suggest punctuation for easier reading. Thanks for sharing. -Matt