"Worry" - Bahamas AI Art
©A. Derek Catalano
Don't Worry Your Life Away
The sun climbs up the eastern stair to greet the morning dew,
A million possibilities are waiting there for you.
But in the quiet corners of a mind that’s wound too tight,
The shadows of a tomorrow cast a gloom upon the light.
We build ourselves a prison out of "maybe" and "perhaps,"
Constructing heavy burdens out of future-bound mishaps.
But listen to the river as it winds along its play:
Oh, darling, please, I beg of you—don’t worry your life away.
We fret about the silver coins we’ve yet to even earn,
We stress about the lessons that we haven't had to learn.
We weave a web of "what-ifs" till we’re tangled in the mesh,
Neglecting all the beauty that is vibrant, green, and fresh.
The flower doesn’t wonder if the rain will fail to fall,
It simply drinks the sunlight and it stands up straight and tall.
It blooms within the sequence of the season’s grand array;
It doesn't spend its petals trying to worry life away.
Consider how the mountain wears its crown of winter white,
It doesn't fear the summer heat or mourning for the night.
It sits in silent majesty, anchored to the floor,
While humans pace their tiny rooms and look for every door.
We’re haunted by the ghosts of things that haven't happened yet,
We’re drowning in a dry-land sea of fevered, cold regret.
But time is like a grain of sand that will not, cannot stay;
So why waste all your golden hours worrying life away?
Your heart is like a garden where the finest seeds are sown,
But joy can never flourish where the weeds of fear have grown.
If you’re staring at the horizon for a storm that might appear,
You’ll miss the rainbow’s visit and the songbird singing near.
The bread upon your table and the wine within your glass
Are tasted best by those who let the phantom troubles pass.
The feast is set before you in a magnificent display;
Don’t sit in hungry silence while you worry life away.
When evening shadows lengthen and the stars begin to peep,
And all the weary world prepares to find its solace, sleep,
The pillow holds no comfort for the one who counts the cost
Of battles never fought and of the moments they have lost.
For worry is a rocking chair—it gives you work to do,
But never moves an inch toward a vista that is new.
It steals the marrow from the bone and turns the vibrant gray;
It is a thief that thrives when you just worry life away.
So take a breath of clover, let the tension leave your chest,
And realize that for this hour, you’ve truly done your best.
The universe is vast and deep, and you are but a spark,
A flicker of a candle-flame against the ancient dark.
Let go of all the anchors that are dragging in the sand,
And walk with open spirit through this wild and shifting land.
For life is but a fleeting breath, a short and brilliant day;
Oh, live it well, live fully—and don't worry it away.
©A. Derek Catalano/Gemini
