CHOICES

If I can't do
what I want to do
then my job is to not
do what I don't want
to do

It's not the same thing
but it's the best I can
do

If I can't have
what I want . . . then
my job is to want
what I’ve got
and be satisfied
that at least there
is something more to want

Since I can't go
where I need
to go . . . then I must . . . go
where the signs point
through always understanding
parallel movement isn't lateral

When I can't express
what I really feel
I practice feeling
what I can express
and none of it is equal

I know
but that's why mankind
alone among the animals
learns to cry

Written by Nikki Giovanni