the hand points to one,
says you stay or you come.
the hand points to two,
says you win or you're through.
the hand points to three,
says stay young or follow me.
the hand points to four,
says you've got your foot in the door.

in the room the hand rotates slowly
ticking by the uneasy minutes,
you are watching and waiting for the door to open.
all night you waited restless
and ready for this day and this meeting.
what can be decided here?
what can be pretended, what might exist
if greater effort is extended?

the hand points to five,
says you could thrive.
the hand points to six,
says you should get in the mix.
the hand points to seven,
says it's time to make a plan.
the hand points to eight,
says you'd better get it straight.

for all the opportunities missed
there is just one more to be had,
one more to make sure you don't miss the moment
and wind up just watching
the world go by, the people walking
on the sidewalks who have places to go,
the cars driving so purposively on the streets.
you could be a part of this,
you could belong to a place and a time
but only if you make this moment count.

the hand points to nine,
says the day could be mine.
the hand points to ten,
says i must break and mend.
the hand points to eleven,
says the future could be heaven.
the hand points to twelve,
says the past has been hell.

one day soon you'll be old,
and what will you have to look back on?
many years, and perhaps not as many memories
as you might have liked.
so make this what it is, a chance,
and savor this chance to be nervous
about being young and free and wild.
seated in this room
there are still possibilities,
there are many paths but
you are waiting for just one door to open.