THINGS MY FATHER SAID

i guess sometimes i dig too deep
and lack the sense to stop
that's when i recollect the words
of my dear wise old pop

" you don't put useless energy
in things you can't control
so put the shovel down
when you detect you're in a hole"

sometimes i just erupt
when situations make me mad
that's when i recollect the words
of my dear wise old dad

"don't take things to extremes
for when you do, you're at your worst
before you cut that knot
attempt untying it at first"

sometimes i take things way too far
and leap without a plan
that's when i recollect the words
of my dear wise old man

"in some things, there's no future
so you've got to use your head
you can't climb back on the saddle
of a horse that's beaten dead"

i'm putting down my shovel
and untying every knot
i never beat a horse that's dead
just like i have been taught

i wonder if my father's dad
was first to be the one
that came up with these little gems
that i've passed to my son