How About You?

I was born and blessed to experience life.
And taught to explore and learn,
If I walked too fast in the wrong direction...
Just to have my way?
I may not like,
What I will discover for me is not right.
To eventually adventure,
My best to get better...
At becoming a thoughtful human being.
Among others I witnessed,
Making attempts to do the same thing.
How about you?

I was also taught by many teachers.
That I was not born from under rocks.
And my mind was meant to use it.
Since my head was not a cement block.
And those rocks to throw,
Should not be thrown...
At peaceful living human beings.
Even though I may thought of the rocks,
As baseballs.
With an innocence not to be mean.
I was then a child; playfully innocent.
How about you?

I was made to be respectful of others.
With a discipline to be obedient,
To believe I should obey...
Everything the elders would say to me.
Regardless if I liked or disliked it.
I had no choice but to approve.
A talking back,
Had not been one of those...
Broken rules ignored to break.
My teachers taught me that.
And a few were not my parents.
Nor was I in school.
How about you?

On my own I discovered,
A following behind others...
Who chose the wrong things to do?
Wasn't cool at all.
I remembered having neighbors,
Looking out from their windows.
Reminding me,
They would tell my parents...
Of everything I did and who I was with too!
As if I better not say,
'Shut up you old fool.
Mind your business.
I do what I want and choose.
How about you?

Oh.
And one more thing.
I never thought as I grew up,
Of carrying chips on my shoulders.
Or blame anyone for them being there.
Nowhere near or around me.
Although fighting with other kids,
Is what we all back then did.
To later become friends.
Ending a nonsense that had begun to begin.
How about you?

And, and, and...
One more thing before I let you go.
As I age these days to reminisce,
Those days sometimes I miss.
I often wonder,
Who it is that teaches today's children?
To use weapons as if toys.
Do you know?
And I look at you,
Are you one who missed a lesson or two?
Walking around,
With a chip on your shoulder.
Carrying in your hands sticks and stones.
Looking for someone to them thrown.

'Who me?
What are you talking about old man?
Old folks like you,
Need to know...
When to mind your own business.'

I use to think that way too.
I was young, dumb and full,
Of self immortal importance.
You know...
The king of turf.
Not worth the dirt it sat on.
But you?
You are my business.
And your parents' business too.
I care about you.
Whether this you appreciate to like or not.
And...
Where are you going.
Swaggering to strut.
Pants hanging at the crack of your butt.
With those sticks and stones?
Looking as if,
You were born from under rocks.
With sticks picked thrown to disturb,
Whatever is left of a peace to keep.
Or it to get.
Don't look me up and down.
As if to assess ME to be the circus clown.
Where are you going?
With that frown on your face?

'For your information.
Old guy.
With your nose up my butt.
I happen to be a pioneer!'

Oh?
Of what?
Of what to discover or start to begin?

'And...
How about you?
Listen up.
What are you seeking to discover?
Or start to begin!'

Well...
Good question.
I hope to discover,
This man-child has a brain and mind to use.
And I am wishing to prevent him,
From becoming a stupid, ignorant fool.

'Who do you think,
You are talking to like that.
You're not my mother.
Nor my father I wouldn't recognize,
If he was here staring me in my eyes.'

I realize that to see it clear.
But I am hoping one day,
What I today say...
You will not come to remember it,
Sitting alone in a prison cell.
Reading through a Bible.
Memorizing a scripture to quote.
Before understanding the meaning of it!
Go.
And pioneer your discovery!