Alternative Universal Declination Poem by Doug Gunderson

So many things I could have done
And so many things I should of
But what we do is who we are
Defined by who and what we love.
I don’t believe in destiny
And I always question fate;
But nurture versus nature
Is an ongoing debate.
If I were more ambitious
And climbed the corporate ladder
Would I still have my children’s love
And if so, would it matter?
If fame and fortune came to me
What would I lose in return?
For every path takes its own way
And the bridges it has to burn.
I know it’s not an ‘Either or”
And that I have made every choice.
But if I wandered on another path
Would I still retain this voice?
Would I still be an optimist?
Would I live to create joy?
Or would I treat the ones I love
As my own private toy?
Maybe I will never know,
And maybe that’s Okay
For the ones I love see how I am
And they like me this way.