a little love, a little discipline

sometimes children,
young people
even the Big Baby in us all

needs a little love
sweetened with a little discipline

huh?

isn't that supposed to be the other way
around?
no,
the chutney
without its spices is just jam

life without a little clear effort
(not the huff and puff effort
of almost all movement
systems)
gets stale

and sometimes the parent
for the child
needs to have some interesting
and useful
NOs
out there

want three showers a day?
one is enough.

want to watch television
every day?
twice a week is enough.

the hollering,
the gnashing of teeth
and
then
hell:

you just get rid of the television
and they read
and talk
and hike out behind the place
and learn an instrument

take away
the unnecessary
and many people
will rise to the occasion
with something
real
to do
or
be