courage

For I Am A Patriot

For I Am A Patriot

I am a soldier
Standing on the battlefield
Where we have yet to fight
Holding on to my musket
With fingers that tremble with strength
Watching for the enemy colors
To cross the ridge before me
As I stand with my brethren
And we hold our breaths
Hoping that today isn’t our day to die
But it if is
Lord let it be bravely

For I am a patriot

From back home they say they miss me
They say I should return
When I tell them of the lack of food
The constant stench of death
My ragged clothes
And the depression of the camp
They remind me of all that I am missing
And all that I could have
Warmth and love and happiness
Now who wouldn’t want that?
But even in the depth of my sorrows
I reply “Not yet, not today”

For I am a patriot

And when the day is done
And we can hoist our colors in the air
The people cheer
The men rejoice
And the singing fills the sky
Some comrades may be dead but they
Died in the greatest way
So we celebrate their deaths
And our survival to fight another day
For we are the winners of this battle
And I know we will be the winners of the war
What else could we be?

For I am a patriot

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Why I’m Here

(FYI, this piece was written off a prompt for “Why are you here?” and to make it as crazy, bragging and laugh-inducing as possible. It’s a wonderful thing to do when you’re feeling down, I promise!)

Why I’m Here

Because I am 16
And I haven’t lived yet
I’m here because I have just self-published a book
And I want to sell a million copies
I haven’t seen Japan yet
I haven’t learned to ride a motorcycle yet
But I am the manager of a 50 person dining room
And the editor of a magazine with 3,000 people who read it
I haven’t seen all my friends face-to-face yet
And no one’s able to fly
And I want recognition
Happiness
Love
And peace
But I’m still trying to figure out what all that means
I’m here because my brothers need me
I’m here because my parents want me
No one can fix broken bonds yet
But I want to be the first one
And I want to see a world of peace
With no pollution
War
or greed
And I’m going to make that happen
I am here because I haven’t signed an agent
I haven’t found a publisher
But someday I want to see my title be a NY Times bestseller
I am here because I want to live
And my dreams have stopped the darkness in my heart
I am here because I have something to say
And I haven’t said enough yet

Crack in the Wall

Crack in the Wall

There is a crack in the wall
See?
In the corner!
Its minute fissures have spread like vines
Wanting to grow
Begging me to water them
Will I?
Once there would have been no question
But now–
Well
Life, my friend, is not an easy game to play
Let alone master
But…
That crack is taunting me
Calling me
Pleading
“One easy smash,” it says
“Will shatter the wall to dust”
“And it will be like it never existed–”
Be silent!
Leave me be
Let me stare in silence
At the light peeking through
Maybe the sun will be a kinder persuader or
Better
It will leave me in peace
For it’s hard to justify the crumbling
Of a wall I built
To keep life out

September 29th – Songs on the Radio

Songs on the Radio

So you listen to the radio
Singing your heart out
Wishing with all you’ve got
That person in the song was you

You sing a little louder now
Trying to block the tears
The world in the lyrics sounds perfect
Why can’t you live there too?

You want to believe
You want to find love
You want to live your dreams
You want to discover yourself

Hold on to your faith, your hope
For I have faith in you
One day you’ll hear a melody and smile for
That person in the song is you

September 27th – Get a Life

Get a Life

So maybe your dream is a little out of reach
So maybe you’re waiting for love to knock
So maybe you’re thinking you’ll get it tomorrow
So maybe it takes some more courage
So maybe it seems frightfully costly
So maybe it needs some work

No one ever said you couldn’t stretch
No one ever said love would come to you
No one ever said tomorrow is better
No one ever said you could be a coward
No one ever said it was priceless
No one ever said you could float through

So maybe life is hard
No one ever said it’d be easy

August 16th – Call Me a Coward

Call Me a Coward

Call me a coward
Please
It’s simpler
It’s what I do
When given the chance
I have no faith in me
But that’s okay
It’s safe
It’s good
Call me a coward

Call me a coward
Please
Believe me
Don’t make me do things
That scare me
So what
If you think I can do it
I don’t
I know best
Call me a coward

Call me a coward
Why won’t you
You push me out of my comfort zone
You give me no choice
I do what you say
No matter how frightening
No matter how dangerous
Because I have no options
But I beg you
Call me a coward

Call me a coward
Thank all that you won’t
Now I see
What I can do
THat maybe I can
Do more than I think
And I’ve got some courage
Somewhere deep inside
I’m so glad you could see it
Now call me a coward

I dare you

August 15th – The Finish Line

The Finish Line

It’s that moment
When you’re convinced
It can’t rain harder
Your feet can’t ache less
Your head can’t pounder harder
Your heart can’t fracture anymore
The bottom just gets lower
Going on is much too painful
Even though you’re so numb
No thoughts enter your mind
But ‘Keep going’
Though you’re not sure
Why you do
So you let your hood down
And let the rain drench you
Pretending your tears
Are just droplets
Just as the finish line
Comes into sight

August 13th – Wanderer

Wanderer

Wanderer
Do you ever get lonely?
Do you ever feel like giving up?
When your feet ache
Can you stop?
Or do you trudge onward
Into blackness?

Have you family?
Have you friends?
Have you any shoulder to cry on?
If you get lost
Can you call someone?
Do you ever get lost at all?

I beg you
Find my doorstep
I’d sleep on the floor
If you came
For, Wanderer,
I was once you
And I cannot sleep
Until you find your peace

August 9th – Knowing Myself

Knowing Myself

When did I go
From the one
Always trying to fit in
To the one
With her foot in her mouth
Who couldn’t care less?
I always used to be the one
Molding myself
To fit whoever’s ideals
So I could be in the middle
It’s a little confusing
Because
I still have no idea
Who I am
But it would seem
Now I know
Exactly who I’m not