An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

On the 89th Day, I Quit

ON THE 89th DAY, I QUIT

I do not believe
in fate or destiny
or God’s will
or man’s good intentions.

Give me the capricious gods instead,
Dow Jones, Starbucks, Dick Cheney
so I at least know that where I stand on
this stacked deck is arbitrary.

I believe I am destined
for greatness, if only I could
get out of my own way
and stop being so damn scared of it.

“If a man is considered guilty
4 what goes on in his mind
Then gimme the electric chair
4 all my future crimes-oh!”

My kiss is a double-edged sword
and I have slashed my way
through the hearts and minds
of countless innocents.

I curse myself daily
for the havok I have wrought,
the pain I have caused,
the man I should have been.

I regret only not believing in myself
enough to balance the better
with the worse with the sickness,
but health can be so fleeting…

so I regret nothing.

The first Step always tripped me
up, unable to relinquish power
to an unknown god, but on the off-chance
someone’s actually listening,
thank you, thank you
for those who deserved better
but loved me anyway.


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Guy LeCharles Gonzalez

Sometimes loud, formerly poet, always opinionated. As in guillotine... Guy LeCharles Gonzalez is currently the Chief Content & Marketing Officer for LibraryPass. He's also previously been publisher & marketing director for Writer’s Digest; project lead for the Panorama Project; director, content strategy & audience development for Library Journal & School Library Journal; and founding director of programming & business development for the original Digital Book World.

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