Show Notes
Do not be distressed
when your opinions no longer matter
and your cherished words
fail to harvest attention like before.
Do not let unhappiness find you,
if the cameras no longer care enough,
they refuse to search for your face,
flatter your ego
or beat a path to your door.
Do not feel abandoned
when that forever inconvenient phone you avoided
– stops ringing –
and the copious friendships you cultivated and prized,
steadily evaporate.
Be careful not to court disappointment
when the cautious adulation stops,
the beloved accolades dissolve
and you quietly become yesterday’s news
– even as you lie awake
struggling to recover misplaced opportunities.
Try not to cuddle sadness
even if your name ceases
to roll off the lips of former devotees –
and the lofty titles you sported proudly,
like fierce battle scars,
can no longer shield you
from the isolation of mistrust.
Dare not take offence
when they decline to open doors for you,
and to obey your commands;
but instead, forget your birthdays
and rarely,
someone mistakes you for somebody important.
Try as you must,
not to feel bitter.
Simply, cast a smile at the mislaid years
and remember…
it was always temporary
and
you were always
just a paper cup
