Atonement for a Life Misspent

do we fail at life because it’s easier

or is it just a lack of heart and soul

and a need to keep the pity going

to cover our failure to make the goal

i think that success brought my men such guilt

be it in business or even with wife

dad told me that to do better than him

would be a spit on his blue collar life

i sacrificed everything for men

and kept my collar so painfully blue

was i hoping to be a wife and mom

or just an equal and beloved sue?

i got involved with men destroyed by mom

and tried so hard, just to be forgotten

"nothing normal" was their rallying cry

and I ran when the mess got too rotten

while i was distracted, the world went mad

and there’s a chance it will not recover

children and ecology have more need than me

i pray it’s not too late to discover

some ways for the old lady to atone

and contribute more than empty support

to schizophrenic and angry lovers

returning to my friends their sweet comfort