Prisoner to the ritual

Always been the chubby kid on the block

Loved my food , my sweets and PB&J sandwiches

Self control was never my best attribute

So I ate beyond being satiated

Fighting this issue for most of my life

I worked real hard to be better 

Always succumbed to my bad temptations

Like a an addict strung out on Heroin

One day I realized that I was killing myself

I never drank, smoked or did drugs

But food was the enemy and was winning the battles

So I fought and crawled and struggled towards better health

I ran 8 miles a day to for 3 straight years

The damage to my knees , back and entire body would eventually surface

But I was thin, looked good and felt ok

I was transformed and still unhappy

As an adult I carried my bad ways and would gain more weight

I am a good baker and a damn good cook

So sampling the goods was there to battle

So my efforts fell victim to to my biggest weaknesses, ME

I never stopped trying to stay actively cognizant

Of finding my health and joined the gym

I would go to the gym and ride my bike on the road

Forever guilty when I took a day off

For ten years now I have been addicted to exercise

Lost 100 plus lbs. and supposedly healthier

Yet my previous life has ask for it's payment

My heart is ill and my body hurts

Taking my medicine like an older man 

Staying healthy was always my master plan 

Hopefully without a medicine cabinet full of pills

The body has asked for it's past due bills

Everyday I think of what I will do

A bicycle ride through town or an in home workout

Days off are a rarity

I will kill myself I I ever stop trying

I am a prisoner to this ritual in which I engage

I do what I must to stick around for another day

These prison cells are not as bad as they may sound

It's an opportunity that a cancer patient may not have

 

I fear not death or sickly days

I fear leaving life unlived and unfulfilled

Taking chances and taking risks

Motorcycles and bicycles on the road are not always safe

Life is love and passionate embracing

Holding onto to life with a unrelenting grip

I'm blessed and express my gratitude 

I'm a prisoner to a ritualistic life of goodness