jon_chaisson | 8: On Holiday

Just because you have an extra day off, she said,
Doesn't mean you should put off the work that needs doing.
That was my mom back in the day, reminding me
That I probably should have done my homework on Friday.
And of course I didn't listen, convinced I had time,
Convinced I could get it all done on the Monday we had off.
And then I'd lie in bed that evening, stressed and angry,
Because I'd wasted the entire weekend on games and play,
And I never finished all my work because I ran out of time.
I knew it was my own damn fault but still felt like an idiot,
Knowing full well that I fell into this trap all the time.

And now, years later, I wind down the day with a book in hand,
Turning in hours earlier than I would back in those old days.
It's not out of exhaustion or the sheer length of the day,
But that I've grown up and given into the schedule of maturity.
We have to wake up before the sun and jump on that bus,
Dreading the long day of learning and performance ahead,
Convincing ourselves that it's worth the payoff in the end.
We'd embraced that holiday off by going out to play,
But in the back of my mind I still had work that needed doing.
Fun work, but work enough that I needed to squeeze in somewhere,
Down at the end of the day when the sun goes down behind me,
Work that I should not have put off until now.

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