Sores of Misdirection

There is a reason to follow directions right;
jaws of misfortune are waiting to take a bite.
Chew you on up and then savor the aftertaste;
not worth the possible wounds nor the time you waste.

Tucking flap A in slot B is the proper start;
absent the tuck and the structure could fall apart.
Plus now today with computers ubiquitous,
lack of direction will frustrate the best of us.

Altering lines in the Cramp* goes against the grain;
so is to speed up inside a construction lane.
Single the lane with a wall that is close today;
better to slow than have concrete scrape paint away.

Medical reasons are surely important too;
take your pills right if it is the last thing you do.
Feeling much better yet there remains ample pills;
sickness abides—it returns with more aches and chills.

Folks get so mad if their guidelines are hardly kept;
lax the resistant—the apathy overslept!
Spelled out in plain English, good rules should find favor;
pride is a culprit, and big ego bad flavor.

Once in fourth grade we were tested—it made us laugh;
we were to read everything before doing math.
All raced to solve every problem ere time was key;
but at the end it said solve only two and three.

(All were embarrassed, as much as fourth graders paled;
  teacher arrived at each desk to announce, "You failed!"
  Taking away from this episode feeling worse,
  was the reminder to follow and read things first.)

Lines we encounter prevail that we do not toe;
yet it is better if directions run the show.
Lots of impatience can lead to imbroglio;
better with patience, directions to aid life’s flow.


32 Lines 
(Dactylic Tetrameter)
*Writer’s Cramp 
8-22-19