The Rules of the Game

Life is a game, I say,
And you have to learn
To play by the rules
If you want to win.
The trouble is
The rules are
Never defined,
And neither is winning.
A goal post might
Come in handy
If you want to know
Which direction to head,
Or whether you are
Winning or loosing,
But that is up to you
To invent.
The attitude you take
Into a scrimmage
Is critical
To the outcome.
If you insist on
Shooting yourself
In the foot
Before you begin,
Then you might as well
Not play at all.
What there is to do
After swallowing
A humiliating loss
Or basking in
The glory of
A momentary victory
Is to get up,
Brush yourself off,
And go at it again.
No matter how lopsided
The score,
As long as you don’t quit,
The game doesn’t end.
From every experience,
Whether the play
Is a win or a loss,
There is always
Something of value
To be learned.
Wisdom comes
From playing the game,
And figuring out
The rules
As you go.