when i bow my head to meet my destiny—
the hard fact that will not bend—
the battle hymn of my ancestors fills my ears—
my breath meets at the point of yielding and resisting—
and as a soldier i pledge myself
to that which i do not understand.
Tag: struggle
to the question of pain
there is only one answer:
surrender.
do not try to outrun it—
you only waste your breath.
do not cover it up—
you only compound it.
there is only one answer:
feel it.
feel it in all its senselessness,
in all its depth and fury.
once you have surrendered
to your one and only master
you are slave to nothing else.
a secret
if you would know
the secret to healing
it is this:
the answer
lies not
in despair.
what if
what if
pain isn’t always wrong
tired isn’t always bad
boredom isn’t wasted time
what if
life isn’t about
feeling good
but about
finding meaning
what if
you create meaning
simply by
accepting discomfort
what if
no longer expecting
to feel good
is strangely liberating
what if
you can just rest
knowing that
who you are
where you are
exactly how you are
is just right.
living proof
if I may be anything
let me be living proof
that one can feel
the unbearable darkness
yet be whole in Spirit;
that intermittently
through the dark
will be moments of blinding light
& to be overcome
by the weight of it all
does not make you wrong
does not make you unholy
unclean
or unworthy
most of all
it cannot take the light from you.
let me be living proof
that you can be
both light & dark
it doesn’t make you crazy
it just makes you
a fervent student of acceptance;
you cannot control the darkness
nor can you banish it forever
but you can decide
to receive the light
to clear a space for it
invite it
with prayer
reflection
or tokens
of your most precious
memories & dreams;
clearing the space
may be messy
maddening
& seem
like more of a mess
than when you started
(clearing
is not the same
as cleaning)
but you’ll know you’ve cleared space
if inside it feels lighter
if you can breathe easier
if you feel you’re not alone
& despite the shadow
that trails behind
you’re ready
to carry on.
struggle
the struggle
is part of
the plan.
face to face with the sky 