I had troubles in my life that made
It difficult for me to wade
Through life’s stormy oceans
Worry was my predominant emotion
Unfortunately in retrospect I now see
How annoying I used to be
Talking compulsively about my woes
To family and friends, anyone who was close
I don’t know if I was looking for solutions
Or just a sympathetic ear, I carried an illusion
That airing out my problems would be
A way to get rid of unreasonable worry..
*
My worries never really disappeared
The more I aired them, the more they appeared
To take center stage in my life, until one day
A rare moment of introspection crossed my way
For the first time I realized I appeared
A whiner, a complainer, even to my ears
Embarrassed, I decided I could not be
Such a negative person constantly
*
I started with the biggest object of my lamentation
And stopped mentioning it in any conversation
I followed it up by consciously trying to refrain
From voicing my troubles and complaints
Gradually I noted I no longer seemed to
Dwell on them as much as I used to do
In not mentioning my worries at all
I found it harder and harder to recall
All the grievances I had from day to day
This deliberate elimination paved the way
For me to transform from a grumbling person
To someone with a more optimistic disposition
*
Old habits die hard and not talking about my problems
Sometimes a little overwhelming becomes
Then I share my trouble with someone close
But since it is done in a small infrequent dose
A complainer I do not appear to be-
I am a worrier absolved of worry!
Passion...unbridled 