on lao tzu ch. 13

HOPING FOR SUCCESS

Success and Hope love to dance

at a dizzying pace, like mismatched

ballerinas or underweight strippers

bumping and grinding on a bartop

for five dollar tips.

Failure and Fear are always in the

audience applauding, jeering,

wishing they too might take the

stage one day; get their own

stockings stuffed.

Outside in the cold night air,

the soul of humanity waits

patiently for the show to be

over.

- don brennan, Tao, ch. 13