Free Association

This is a good song to play in the background while reading this poem. Mood music courtesy of Vangelis.
Press PLAY and scroll down or feel free to not press anything and continue with the Silent Version. Seriously though, why would you not play the song?  

I could just leave right now.

“Well, I’ll get going” I could be saying…

I don’t want to leave too early but

I really don’t want to end up overstaying

If I leave right now then I’ll sleep very well

but if I leave right now then I’m gonna catch hell

Soon as I leave, they’ll start to mix it all and twist it all

and then tomorrow all I’ll hear is how I missed it all

I’ll wake up feeling fresh, well-rested and pissed off that I left early

Will decide I’d much rather have had 3 hours of sleep and been a lil surly

But if I stay? What then? What magic moment is going to produce itself next?

Seems like everybody just telepathically agreed to check their texts

Hmm but this definitely has potential, just enough potential or else I’d be gone

but what if it’s never realized and I realize too late I held on too long?

And what if this sudden hopefulness is just a result of this drinking?

Beer muscles, impaired judgement and a boost of wishful thinking

If staying sucks, I’ll head home with a ‘tsk’ refrain and regretting this last hour

Curse my alarm angrily tomorrow morning while dragging my feet to the shower

Think of how a good sleep and a hot breakfast tomorrow could be so de-stressing

while the old toss ‘n’ turn and Eggo waffle while dressing’s been getting depressing

Such a fine line between leaving early and overstaying

a moment either way and you find yourself paying

the price of free time for your self and for your lazing

or the price of possibly maybe missing something slightly amazing

Walking out the door and behind you

sudden loud uproarious laughter

Can you leave it there behind you

and not wonder about it after?

A fine line, a sweet spot, between

leaving early and staying too long –

and both of them piss me off instantly

and so now when I leave, I do so hesitantly.

To leave at the perfect moment

is downright presidently evidently

Even rarer still, It’s Bigfoot, the Yeti

Life’s great mystery, the one that gets away

To leave now or to stay

… a little bit longer

____________________________________________________________