Why Not?

I'm not posting many today
Sorry
Maybe you'll see the rest of my old poems someday, or maybe they'll be lost forever in notebooks in my room and files on my computer
For my eyes only

But here's one I wrote a month or two ago on the way home from practice

Why Not?
Why not smile a little  bigger?
Why not laugh a little harder?
Why not hug a little tighter, stand a little taller, play a little freer

They ask me why, but I need no reason
The real question is why not

Who can say if she'll be a good friend?
Perhaps you won't like her, then you'll drift apart
But say she's amazing and you only missed it
Because you were as afraid as she was to make one new friend

Why not learn to dance?
Why not socialize with the homeless?
Why not kiss a stranger, help a toddler, visit the theater?

They say only to risk what you're willing to lose
They tell you not to fall for someone unless they're willing to catch you
Well what if?
What if that one time, you fall for him and he backs away?
You'll bruise your back, but bruises heal
What doesn't kill you can only make you stronger, and I promise it won't kill you
And what if he does catch you?
Isn't it worth a few falls on the ground for the chance you could land in someone's arms?
Which is worse, the risk of giving too much or the risk of taking no chances at all?

So smile a little bigger, and laugh a little harder
Give a little more from your wallet, your advice, your strength, and your heart
Hug a little tighter and stand a little taller
Let yourself go because nobody wants to live a captive of their own silly concerns
Surf the Pacific, climb the Appalachians, see the Grand Canyon

After all, why not?