the four-year-old's world

the four-year-old’s world

will and self

I feel for the four-year-old:
so much of his world
plays(plā) by rules(ro͞ol) he just can’t quite(kwīt) buy(bī) into,
he feels them arbitrary(ˈärbiˌtrerē), capricious(-ˈprē-,kəˈpriSHəs),
he feels duty-bound(ˈd(y)o͞otē) to resist(riˈzist) them, reject them,

the rules of physics(ˈfiziks) work for him,
for physical actions have consequences(-ˌkwens,ˈkänsikwəns) that just are:
dropped things drop,
he has to adjust(əˈjəst) his climb(klīm), his moves(mo͞ov) on a structure(ˈstrəkCHər),
guided(ˈgīdid) by an understanding
that gravity(ˈgravitē) cares(ke(ə)r) nothing for what he wants,

the rules of people seem to be fungible(ˈfənjəbəl),
open to possibility(ˌpäsəˈbilətē) of change,

the self an artist and the parents’(ˈpar-,ˈpe(ə)rənt) world a canvas(ˈkanvəs)
upon which the ego(ˈēgō) can work its will
to create whatever the self, at the moment(ˈmōmənt),
imagines(iˈmajən) to be most pleasing(ˈplēziNG),

I applaud(əˈplôd) assertion(əˈsərSHən) of self,
for we must be the self as individual(ˌindəˈvijəwəl)
before that individual can choose to follow love
into the larger, the self in connection(kəˈnekSHən),
will, in ignorance(ˈignərəns), though(T͟Hō), can be as King Canute(kəˈn(y)o͞ot)
who ordered the tide(tīd) to not come in,
and how did that come out?

the four-year-old, in contrary mode,
asserts(əˈsərt) a self-centeredness that seems to beg(beg) to be thwarted(THwôrt),
controlled and disciplined(ˈdisəplind) by a dominant(ˈdämənənt) parent,

how much harder, and better,
if the parents use all their creativity(ˌkrē-āˈtivitē), patience(ˈpāSHəns), and love,
to help guide(gīd) the self into learning what’s out there,
learning when to lose(lo͞oz) because the battle(ˈbatl) isn’t worth it,
and learning how to win when love is the referee(ˌrefəˈrē).