Tailoring Time

There was a lecture I used to hear ad nauseam,
when I was young and had a reduced attention span
(some would say I have not changed).
If I appeared inattentive then the lecturer would reduce
my listening skills further by being more condescending.
The phrase that quietly gutted me ran
'You have to cut your coat according to your cloth'.

It was said by speakers who wanted to shape my future
as if it were their past - where once they worked hard
in order to be poor and be sold the idea of the future riches
that they would never have, but they could settle for less.
They believed their past should be my continuous present,
and they were deaf to my unvoiced belief that somebody 
would want to keep me for who I was not what I cost.
That said I like living within my means, and my truest riches
are always going to be control of my time and choosing
who to be lectured by. I am happy to be accused of sloth.