A Hostage Mess

I write down poetry prompts when I hear them, store them sometimes for years. This one I actually used before on March 9, 2014.

Don't take a hostage you're not willing to shoot. ~ Congressman Mike Conaway

And then what? I practiced law with two men.
Bill flew (quite successfully!) by the seat of his pants,
knew where the library was — because the coffee was there
and he'd cut a donut with his cattleman's knife,
eat a third...come back twice more and get a third...
nobody else would touch them. Was that forethought?
Claiming his whole donut, knowing what others would do?
Bryan would take a new client, know generally what they had,
research that question and two more what-if's
on each potential branch before the first meeting with clients...
forethought, ready to follow the conversation's contingencies.
What decisions will you make today? Are you ready for what-if's?
Don't take a hostage you're not willing to shoot.
A friend calls, asks you to speak at an event. You hate to speak.
But it's six weeks away. You say maybe. You say it again
for five weeks. Your friend's in a jam if you don't appear.
Don't take a hostage you're not willing to shoot.
Find a puppy, clean it up, feed it, love it...you have no pet deposit
nor cash to post one, can't afford to lose the apartment.
Don't take a hostage you're not willing to shoot.
You sign a contract to perform a service but change your mind,
lose interest in that, want to put your time on a new passion
so you procrastinate. And work on the new. And procrastinate
until it's a day before you are to deliver the contracted service.
Don't take a hostage you're not willing to shoot.
Don't build amends you're going to have to make. Live responsibly.