Life is Fine

by Langston Hughes

I went down to the river,

I set down on the bank.

I tried to think but couldn't,

So I jumped in and sank.

I came up once and hollered!

I came up twice and cried!

If that water hadn't a-been so cold

I might've sunk and died.

But it was Cold in that water! It was cold!

I took the elevator

Sixteen floors above the ground.

I thought about my baby

And thought I would jump down.

I stood there and I hollered!

I stood there and I cried!

If it hadn't a-been so high

I might've jumped and died.

But it was High up there! It was high!

So since I'm still here livin',

I guess I will live on.

I could've died for love--

But for livin' I was born

Though you may hear me holler,

And you may see me cry--

I'll be dogged, sweet baby,

If you gonna see me die.

Life is fine! Fine as wine! Life is fine!

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If death wasn't so complicated and obscure, I bet a lot of people would choose it.

Life, afterall, is like a giant maze. Too often we somehow manage to end up in a "dead end." Hence, we go back to where we started just to begin the process all over again.

During the first four or five or even ten attempts, it's all adventures and new learnings and insights etc. etc., but after awhile, when you're already on your 104th attempt and you still couldn't get it right, sometimes you wish you could just sod the bloody maze and retire -- or not!