These Are My JOTtings, Part #2

1978 Graduate

One brilliant day on stage I stood.
I clutched one papered goal and feared.
The future could be joy and good,
or poorly lived and jeered.

Congratulations were the day,
but when they left me all alone
the clutches of these "birds of prey"
slashed courage to the bone.

These years of life have shown their worth
to shake loose from the jabbered flock.
The chortled joy of greatest birth
hath turned the key in lock.

by Jay O’Toole
on May 5th, 2025