I, Joseph Tanner, do solemnly swear
Before I take my last step and breathe my last air,
To accept that life is a paradox.
You may never understand, just try and think outside the box.
When opportunity knocks, take stock in the moment.
When the odds against you are astronomical,
Laugh in a doubter's face because they're comical.
Tell them to dust their monocles if they can't see the beast inside,
Make them feast on pride as they eat their own.
Appearance is one thing, but look underneath.
Deep inside, my mind is armed to the teeth.
Thoughts thicken into words, and stick around when they're heard.
I speak meteors, verbal impact and explosive syntax
Leaving craters in your skull.
Never dull, Never lulling or sullen,
Bold or nothing.
Do or die.
Live as free as the stars in the sky.
Safe to say my stash of syllables will never run dry.
Revel in the melodic, yet methodic rhythm of your heart beat.
It's music. Are you smooth jazz played on a New Orleans street?
Maybe heavy metal with a taste for extremes,
Or maybe the marching band for a college team.
Clap your hands, keep your music flowing, cranial concert going
Is your song just scattered notes, or is it something more?
No telling what waking up tomorrow has in store; chances galore.
Live with everything you have to give.
No one can tell you otherwise,
Never lose the little child that grew up in your mother's eyes.
Instead find the person you'll be proud of
Once the lights go out,
When the music stops,
When you're six feet under with dirt on top.