Ill Advised

Jolting awake, once again
You frighten your future self,
That is, the self that ponders

Risks and disasters ahead.
That self is never correct
But often nearly correct,

And it’s really all you have
To mitigate, to ward off
All your looming disasters.

If you’re nodding off without
Knowing it until you start
Awake, bewildered, you may

Nod off while driving the car,
So that death or injury,
Financial catastrophe,

Overwhelming guilt and shame,
All the horrors pursue you
Through what little life’s left you,

Who didn’t take your future
Self seriously enough,
Harming your self and others.