Cheers, Fears And Arrears Poem by John Sensele

How much associates and acquaintances
Demand of you elevates or extinguish your status
As you plough through instances and distances
Beyond mediocrity and above the meritocracy of a hiatus.

How much voice and choice you inject in assembling a team
That functions as a devil advocate
Enriches and impoverishes the cream
That emerges and emanates from your syndicate.

How much cuss and fuss sneak
Into your modus operandi
Pays you handsome dividends as you pick
Up vast rewards and awards well above any parody.

How much investment and incentive you inject into nurturing relationships
You build over the years
Carefully caressing your partner, kissing her and blessing her in cars and in ships
That traverse the width and length of your life without undue prior fears or fears in arrears.