sat by a tree, my hands on my cheeks;
trying to ponder on my life's problems.
Then, came people;
all of them with different faces.

looking at them I could see a reflection of myself;
everyone, battling with their cases.

I sat still, unseen, watching beautiful women pass;
all of them with gorgeous dresses.
Then, came the men.
Broad shoulders, big arms;
fine actors donning professional bracing.

who would have thunk people with problems can wear garments adorned with patterned laces?

But then, that is life for you.
You can call it a journey
or call it a race.
But, in the end, the lesson is the same.
Everyone has their problems but they don't wear them on their face.
instead, they dress up in the morning holding a bag or a briefcase.

They put on a facade over their powdered faces,
and go on about their day like they've got grace.
Yet, underneath that beautiful garment and charming smile lies a deep scar from a terrible case.

I sat there, under the tree
wishing for the lives of others;
with my prying eyes, I investigated the people that passed.
wondering what their future holds and judging their past.
In the space of one hour, I had married 80 women
had kids with 50 and divorced the rest.
I kept my eyes glued on the beautiful ones, choosing only the best.
But once I thought I had found the prettiest one, another comes along and I move on to the next.

within a short while,
I had lived a thousand lives, fathered a hundred children, and widowed a dozen women.
but even as I dreamed with my eyes open
I could sense an evil omen.

Posed as the best guy, I got the best girl.
But, even then, we still had problems.
Trivial as they seemed no one could solve them.
Because
in one life, I was a woman married to the best man who seemed to hold the world at the helm.
Then I caught him cheating with a maid who couldn't spell the word, "stem".
Horrible as it sounds, that doesn't compare to my other life,
where I had a thousand Ferraris, but I didn't have the legs to drive them.

Ironic, right?
How you could own the world and everything in it. Yet, feel alone like a vacuum is in your life.
took me a dozen marriages to see the light,
and a hundred deaths to get it right that:
in this life, you can't call anyone blessed
until you have lived their lives.

So, count your blessings, not your debts.
Because outside the facts;
earth is round and death is bound,
everything else is subject to opinion.
so live your life, wearing a smile
lest a troubled person in a beautiful dress makes you feel small like an onion.

© shalex