Submitted By: John "The Beloved" Ajewole

LIFE began back in the garden Eden
when God gave to man of His own breath,
and the will to decide how to live till death.
You and I can are to choose our own amazon.

LIFE is a game that all mankind must play.
To play, win or loose, the game is up to you,
for everyone is once given his or her cue.
This game cannot be by relay.

LIFE is the road on which all must tread.
Each one is the scout for his own dailybread.
Help me if you may and if not, I don't mind,
for I could always repay you in kind.

LIFE is an ocean where all must swim,
and to float or sink is just a choice.
Just two, but you can't and must not toy
if your head, over others must clearly gleam.

LIFE is a battle in which all must fight.
At the warfront, it will forever be tight.
Have you the weapons, have you the shield?
Yes or No, you and I are on the battlefield.

LIFE is the market place where all can buy,
paying for its goods, whether great or small.
In times when bad luck brings its downfall,
it's best to have a friend for help or an alibi

LIFE is a risk that all must take.
You can't afford not to be awake.
Caution: in all you do, in all its 'a', 'b' and 'c'
always have a finger on the 'escape key'.

LIFE is whatever you make it to be.
You are your own architect, so make your design.
As its manager, you decide when to resign,
but be careful, you can't afford to bet on 'We'.

LIFE is a struggle up a high mountain,
for at its peak is a cold water fountain.
To get there is not and never by mistake
for at the start a decision you must make.

LIFE is a race in which all must run,
you cannot afford to sit and wait.
Its road is rocky, steep and strait.
In LIFE, you can't afford to play an Aaron.

LIFE is the journey that all must start.
Each one through its map must daily chart
for the best, easiest and fastest route,
with no path having an absolute.

LIFE is a maze through which all must steer.
Navigating each day through paths unknown,
it has its left and right, up and down.
Don't be discouraged when LIFE is austere.

LIFE would turn to you only in a single face.
There should be no regret or an about-face,
for we chose not the when, where and how.
The best is to make the most of the 'Now'.

LIFE sometimes brings hot and or cold winds -
blowing fiercely daily the way it pleases.
Many times, it roasts and then freezes
just make sure LIFE doesn't leave you behind.

LIFE is free to be lived, in bondage or with freedom.
In a world of plenty, you can choose to even live in boredom.
Your choice or my choice, once is to be made,
the better gets the bigger accolade.

LIFE is the beginning of the walk to the grave.
Make sure that everyday, you get 'There',
tomorrow's is an entirely new 'Where'.
LIFE must be lived with a purpose and a crave.

LIFE is a book that all of man must write.
The first page began the day you learn't to bite.
With the common title: 'How I lived',
its conclusion is decided by WHAT YOU BELIEVED.

LIFE is the prize that will be received at the end
by those who will live right in God's sight.
Those who maintain their heart in the 'contrite'
are those who to heaven will ascend.

LIFE will never tell you when it'll stop,
we can just hope to see tomorrow's dewdrop.
While we wait, let us make the most of today - LIFE,
living it best for victory or for strife.
To live or die, survive or quench is just a choice.
While all its choices before you are gently placed,
LIFE is indeed what you make it to be.
For water will flow in the path that you dig.

© John "The Beloved" Ajewole - Originally Published: March 10, 2001