Here we are again for self-improvement

I see a hippo-like creature
has become a whale

and though her soul be polluted
with poison through unfair ages
she has pledged to pilot the man to safety
whose fate is with the cruel sea

here we are again

excavating on waking
at the site of the mirage

and there our nightmares are piled high
with all that cannot harm us
oddities brought up to compare
when we could just walk away

here we are

burning with curiosity
under the magnifying glass

rush little children grow up fast
the ghosts prepare to leave at last
only the old will ever know
he dies deadest who grows up slow

here

take the apple for your health
my thanks for reaching so far

a penny for your thoughts on the page
acclaim and a cheer for speaking plain
a pat on the back and a leg up
good luck in the ring tomorrow