Original Poem, Ode to a Self Made Man

Ode to a Self Made Man

When you look down your nose and sarcastically throw
Others of your race under the bus
When you think that you know how you got where you are
And it seems they should be there by now

Does it ever occur to pause for one moment, just stop
And look back down the road that you came

Can you see those behind you who helped you along, or
Is there one set of tracks that led to success
Was there no parent, or mentor to pick you up, when you fell
Or a teacher who helped you to try try again
Was it you who paid every last cent of the bill
When college rolled round, was there really no help
And the loan officer, who made an exception, where is he
In this word built entirely on your hard work
Or the friend of your dad's that gave more than was offered
By companies you walked into unknown
Or the college companion who made you a deal and
Gave you the contract that set you apart
Or your inlaws who stepped in when your first business failed
There are countless hands laying bricks on this road
You were blessed
And from your lofty perch, be careful its a long fall down
Do you think you are never in danger at all
Do you think you may never need help from the worst source of all
Or are you so confident that you made this happen
Are you the sovereign of all you survey

Here are some words that might set you in good stead The next time you
throw someone under that bus That bus that he rode, to get to that
job, the last job he wanted, the only one that called Him back, cause
you see, his associates degree Didn't come from that big state
university with all those webs of influence attached As he picks up
his mop and he sings as he swabs Think of this, Be careful when you
think you stand lest you fall Pride goeth before the destruction of
man and a haughty spirit will knock you off your perch

You may not have risen to so great heights on your own
But you have the power, with a single stroke, to knock yourself off your throne
So why not climb down and show just one
The handholds you used to attain your high status
Be the influence that someone was on your behalf, without them knowing the secret handshake
Reach down and lift just one up and you may find
That the road you traveled was not yours alone, and you may come to realize
That not everyone has someone who has been there before
To show them the way, to lend a hand up, not everyone gets the same chances from
Employers, teachers, law officers and courts
There is some truth that hard work pays off, but force applied haphazardly, merely wears down
It does not elevate, it exhausts and so some
Do grow weary in well doing, there sunrise is long in coming and in their due course, they choose the wrong one
That could just as easily have been you
Had you started from a different square one, had one conversation gone another way
Had one proposal gone ignored, due to
The color of your skin, your heritage, or where you got accepted to go to school
Stop, and look back, and think about it
Before you judge a fellow traveler, have you ever, really walked a mile.....