You Might Like to Know

 
The future's always coming around.  
I've already done  
what I'm going to do  
when I grow up,  
already tried the starting over thing  
half-a-dozen times  
and taken more than my share  
of last chances.
 
So it's not without a bit of hard-won  
hind-sense and a battle plan  
that I would send word back if I could  
to that thin and hapless proto-me of the past,  
a few lessons that gained no value  
from being learned the hard way:  
 
First, don't bother getting married.  
Having love is no guarantee of happiness.  
Never start smoking, although that may sound obvious.  
Anything within the corners of a bed is fair play  
so long as word of it never leaves there.  
Money is neither the root of evil, nor its cure.  
Having ignored my first warning, don't trust that second wife.  
Never confess a truth once you've lied about it.  
There's a sharp turn a half mile into River Road.  
Watch out for that fucker with the knife at Leonard's.  
Laurie's a prostitute, and not your friend.  
Those pills will kill Mike.  
Baldhead is going to try to murder you.  
Randy will die if you let him drive.  
 
More could be added, plenty more  
but any one of these would change the rest  
so why go on?  
It gets too personal  
bogged-down in the specifics,  
so some general words are all that should be said.  
Broad advice then?  
Be proactive.  
Late in life is a damned shitty time  
to start to explore your cage.