I risk everything

Photo by Plato Terentev

for my pleasure
for my art
for the love
that sets my brain on fire
I don’t care what you say
I don’t care about your rules
I’ll risk everything
to do what I was put on earth
here to do…
if I have to cry at night
if I have to walk the streets alone
I’ll do it…
failure can go fuck itself
I’m a force of nature
I defy them all!
I’ll do it,
for my light,
for my pleasure
for my chance to feel joy
beyond measure…
I’d go bankrupt
to share my voice
I’d go broke
to clear my head of noise
I’d climb so high to be heard,
sink to great depths to be seen
line them up,
I’ll beat them all!
I don’t care how long I have left
you can’t stop me,
I’ll be the best — 
my empty pockets,
my final test
I’d starve for my leisure,
and when I’m gone
you can tell the story
of how you saw me
risk everything
for my pleasure

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“I risked everything, for my pleasure” — Jack Johnson

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Garbage Notes:

For this poem, I was inspired by the quote above from the boxer Jack Johnson.

When you really want something, you’ll go through great lengths to achieve it. Whether it’s in athletics, academics, or in art. There are risks involved when you’re attempting to do anything great.

I know I’ve felt the pinch when I decided to become a writer. There’s a lot of vulnerability and instability that comes with trying to live this kind of life.

Every person has to weigh the pros and cons of whether they’re willing to go all out for their passions—for the things they love, the things they beleive in—and decide what they’re willing to sacrifice in order to achieve their dreams.

We all have this notion of discovering what we were put on earth here to do. We have only a finite time to figure that out. So I think it’s not a crazy thing, to be willing to take risks, live dangerously, and put yourself out there in the name of whatever ambition you have.

Whether it’s finding love, supporting a family, writing a book, creating a business, or trying to make the world a better place. We all have to figure out what we’re willing to risk to keep chasing that pleasure.

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Franco Amati 2026

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