Mind Gives You a Piece of Your Mind

Listen, kid. Almost everything
You do that might could determine
Your life’s arc, your trajectory,
Your overall chance of success,

Will involve your interactions
With your fellow humans, their goals,
Their wants, their own plans for success.
You can almost forget the rest,

The ecosystems, the weather,
The disposition of the world.
Those who manipulate humans
Magnificently do the best.

But don’t be surprised when the world
Occasionally intervenes.
The hardest thing about the world
Is how indirectly it links

Or responds to your maneuvers
And passions, honed generations
On generations for messing
With fellow human minds. The world,

At least all its nonhuman parts,
Saving your few domesticates,
Hasn’t been selected to mind
What you’re thinking about doing.

Wish what you want. Seek out patterns
In the waves, the wind, and the stars,
Any sign you’re part of the grand
Design. Mind that design’s in mind.