The Way It Is Poem by jim hogg

The stream winds slow between the fields
The journey's long but soon the day
Takes all we sow; all time reveals
And the birds all sing, the old men say
That's just the way it is

One sunny day when we were young
We named the dream, we jumped right in
We ploughed the sea, the race was run
And the birds still sing, and old men grin
That's just the way it is

He waits and waits but things don't change
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose
The poor man's dream was born in chains
And the old men laugh to hide the truth
That's just the way it is

Come veil and lace and pin striped suit
The alter binds but vows still break
The children pay, they split the loot
And the cycle just begins again
That's just the way it is

She's never known another life
Where drugs and fists were not her fate
She's doing tricks, she's doing time
while the caged bird cries we turn away
That's just the way it is.

The stream winds slow between the fields
The journey's long but soon the day
Takes all we sow; all time conceals
And the birds all sing, the old men say
That's just the way it is

And that's the way it's always been
We're born to promises and dreams
The stars and far horizons call
‘Til we hit the ice, or hit the wall
‘Til the river comes and takes it all


21 06 09