Minecraft for life...

Open link night and the changing of the guard at      http://dversepoets.com/.  As Brian and Claudia pass the helm onto Bjorn and others, we continue to share our poetry and they promised they aren't going far. I have been writing this prose poem in my mind for awhile.  I will be late to comment, per usual. Today and tomorrow the grand kids basketball tournaments - thanks

Minecraft for life...

In the beginning we are pretty cute
we play, wonder, discover
When we start the game we do not know that
we've limited time in this giant world
We learn of fairies, genies, watch TV
With pretend with bows,  arrows and guns
We fend off foes with friends,
zombies and monsters,
yet we feel no threats to our protected life - 
and of course, we follow the rules of the game

In friendly sunshine, we start exploring -
find animals, plants, clouds, nature
We welcome all with both fear and 
exhilaration
We have adrenalin for adventure;
life is dynamic, joyful and fun
When night falls and skeletons come out
we pull our wooden sword,
barricade the door from creepy crawlies 
outside our room

In this game, sometimes you win..
and also lose
You learn it is about not only you, but others
You enter the creative mode 
and learn to build survivor skills 
You build complex machinery,
craft tools, and prepare your arsenal 
Minecraft is just a  game, 
there are no rules
There is a clock in the upper corner of the screen,

You construct simple house with four wooden walls, 
a door, no floor, no roof, no bed 
You don’t need more, just shelter
You mine just enough coal,
craft just enough torches to lighten your way
The game really is just blocks with 
different aspects interacting 
With your avatar you mine your way 
through a tunnel or cave, 
or through a mountain 

"They" crawl behind you and then,
literally explode,

It is pitch black and you meet a dead end;

you start digging a hole, but upwards
You mine a few blocks of rocks,
 find dirt and grass,
but then you hear sheep
Yes, that's right, sheep, purple sheep

You reach the top of a mountain with 

the aid of purple sheep by your side 

There are things outside that want to hurt you 

and stop your clock immediately

"They" make a lot of noise 
when following you

So you have plenty of time to prepare yourself

Your challenge is to live as long as you can

You fend them off bravely, determined
Even though when they find you,
you die, you have many lives to play with

In the real world, we amble along
in this state of vulnerability
We see our first beautiful sunset,
we finish school,  eventually find love,
We accomplish things and widen
 our perspectives, work and play 
and uncover diversity of the world 
It is the most reasonable and fulfilling thing to do
We find adventure, gain experience,
build new worlds, gather our resources

It's your choice; 
your resources are infinite
But in reality,
we experience ugly bruised feelings,
even unworthiness and exclusion
We soon hear the most intriguing things 
Now that you are in the full game of life,
you also notice there is a countdown
You've learned you have limited time 
THAT changes your whole perspective 

What is your purpose? 
How are you going to spend your time? 
Though some combatants are deadly, silent -
accidents and diseases,
others make a lot of noise and give warning.
You know you can protect yourself,
you forge ahead, and enjoy every minute
You are more alive, because now,
 you've learned you have
limited time to play 

What will you accomplish with your avatar?
You will move your house and stuff,
will live in another world, 
perhaps with another person, 
other things going on
One day everything will be gone
Will there be another world after this? 
I don’t know, but I hope so  

There is no actual clock in the upper corner

counting down the time
 you or I have left in the world 

Of course you notice the metaphor

You see how Minecraft mimics life,

with almost the exact same text

It's amazing how a modest game 
models so closely life itself  
Yet, life is just the the interactions 
of atoms and energy. 
The beauty of this is that the focus 
is on living experiences, not on collecting stuff
Stuff is left behind

But experiences are part of you. 
Remember, you can’t see it, but the clock is ticking… 

Wouldn't it be nice to know your countdown
or have someone warn you?
"Good morning, just to let you know -
 that this is your last day"!?"
I really don't know, but know that time is running out, 
I’m thankful that I didn't waste it all
For awhile, the game will remember me
I can win and I certainly can lose, but it will just end
One can't insert more coins or simply
click on an icon
What time do I have left in this world? 
I really don’t know, 
but I hope there's no  standing in line,
and I hope it will be an adventure