A young and silly child, my mother asked me to wash the dishes
I stood on the ladder and scrubbed them clean, toweled them dry and placed them away
She ran her finger along the brim of a glass, her eagle eyes not dismissive
Without sparing me a glance she said “Do it again. Do again until you get it right.”
I traced my letters carefully and tried to get them in the lines
But I was always rather clumsy, I could never get my words upright
My father was there with his critical stare as he couldn’t make out the words
So he said ‘Do it again. Do it again until you get it right.”
When I got older, I began to run – from many things, if I’m honest
And I was somewhat fast, a bit impressive if I refrain from being modest
But my coach would never cheer when he watched me dive through the finish line
He’d just say “Do it again. Do it again until you get it right.”
I never was one to strive for perfection, I truly appreciated the arts
I painted, I wrote and I loved to sketch – the passion burned brightly in my heart
I’d stay up for hours, for days even, painting in low light
Until the instructor critiqued me, said to “Do it again. Do it again until you get it right”.
When I was somewhere between a girl and a woman,
I somehow found my way on the fight for freedom
In combat boots and camouflage, I had never felt quite so lost
A man with a red ribbon across his chest watched me doing push ups all night
I always found myself crying on the floor after pushing with all of my might
And every day, he’d seek me out and make sure he saw my eyes filled with fright
And every day he’d tell me to “Do it again. Do it again until you get it right.”
Years later, I found myself working a job, a standard nine-to-five
I never imagined I’d be in an office filling out invoices in my life
But I was awful with numbers, and someone’s paycheck wouldn’t be quite right
Until my manager told me to “Do it again. Do it again until you get it right.”
It wasn’t the place for me, and I meandered from place to place
But there was one thing that I could never escape
No matter where I went, I would make a mistake
And I’d be forced to correct it no matter how late
Yes, I hid away and I ran from my flaws
I avoided the mirror, I ignored the missed calls
How could I live in a world where I’m so imperfect?
Who could possibly accept me when I constantly fall?
But although people lie, mirrors don’t, and I can’t deny my face
I’m only human, and I’m not one of the few who keep a constant pace
I face my worst foe, my critical reflection and how she glowers in the light
And I don’t flinch the slightest bit when she says “Do it again until you get it right”.
