from gods to friendships

Measure it—the hours, the minutes

The seconds between each minute

Measure the big things and the small things

the height of gods, the depth of friendships

Measure the length and width of your hair

Notice the amount it grows in a month

Then know the odds you go bald by thirty

Measure your distance from the sun’s surface

From the moon, the clouds, even your neighbor

See how your yard is far bigger than theirs

Then measure the width of your wallet,

and ask yourself can It grow bigger still,

Mark your height each year along the wall

And ask yourself can you grow bigger still

Now measure your manhood, then subtly compare

it to that of your friend’s, to your father’s

Measure how tight your mother held your hand

compare that to a tree, see how a leaf holds on

then ask yourself, who lets go first

How long will it take to fall, more importantly

Who will be there to catch it.

Measure commitment next to confidence

the impact of a finger, the way toes curl

The way legs quake and make brown eyes go white

That is the measurement of a finger

This is how I measure my world

I measure it all

from gods to friendships

and I find, they are

all just as small as me.