Fool's Gold

A life lesson that most of us take a while to learn and some never do.

You work and you work,

To get better and better,

Page by page,

Letter by letter.

The more you learn,

The more you know,

The more they pay,

The more you grow.

The more you know,

The higher you rise,

The larger the picture,

The higher the skies.

More new skills,

Still more money,

But much less fun,

Isn't that funny?

No!

You've learned so much,

You've mastered it all,

But you wake one day,

And it's no fun at all!

What you enjoyed starting out,

Has vanished with your success.

You have everything you wanted,

But it has all become meaningless.

As with ladies lingerie,

Oft times less is more.

Turn back to what it was you loved,

Close ambition's beckoning door.

Be true to yourself, follow your dreams,

Never lose your sense of fun.

Life's too short to do the wrong thing,

Have no regrets when it's done.

© 2017 The Iron Horseman

Reviews

[Morgan Bland]

I truly love this poem. As an individual who has just chosen to pursue their passion in architecture instead of the more prestigious considered career of Civil Engineering, it is truly appreciated. So often people plan their entire lives on a basis of money & possessions. They are important for survival, yes, and arguably comfort, but are surly not what truly instill meaning in life.

[The Iron Horseman]

Thank you for taking the time to read and review this; it is truly appreciated. I am glad that it resonated with you; so many people lose sight of what is truly important in their lives. I wish you good fortune in pursuing your dream!

[Paul Bell]

Always hear of the poor city traders burning out at a young age. Play hard and fast, it'll never last.
Nothing wrong with ambition. But when you go back to an empty house, wife gone, children grown up and gone. Was it worth it.

[The Iron Horseman]

Absolutely spot on, Paul. They never seem to learn until it is too late.

[Enchanted-Raven]

Often on the ladder to success people miss so much of what's important in life.....well penned :) x

[The Iron Horseman]

Thank you.

[SJ Mullins]

You covered a lot of ground in these verses. So much of what we deal with in life, especially during our working years. The last verse couldn't be anymore true. My husband is a workaholic. He doesn't know the meaning of the word fun. Perhaps, that is why he stays so stressed all the time? We MUST be true to ourselves, and follow our dreams; otherwise, what is the point in life? It is indeed too short to do the wrong thing. The only regret I have is letting people into my life that didn't deserve to be there. All of us need to "stop and smell the roses" so to speak. Nice ink! :)

[The Iron Horseman]

Thank you. I could not agree more with your comments. Loss of a sense of fun is the top of a very steep downhill slope. Keep on smiling!

[SJ Mullins]

So true. When I was a working girl, my boss at the hospital I worked for said on one of my job evaluations that one of the things she appreciated about me was the fact that I always had a smile on my face. :)