I was recently told
from a credible source
that a famous band wrote a song
about a difficult time in my life
it’s not from the album Dark Horse
but it is a song filled with judgment
defining me as selfish and weak
no love given for my struggles and strife
or painful journey down the Long Road
at first this left me
feeling less than and meek
but then I realized we are not defined
by the perceptions of others
even famous rockstars don’t
have the authority to diminish
our vibrantly true colours
so if someone you trusted
is telling dramatic stories about you
remember the only way
they get power
is Because Of You.

We suffer at the hands of the illogical mind
as intrusive thoughts steal time
creating the illusion that we are not
when what we are is the perfection
of everything we so desperately sought

The vanity of human desire runs deep
the price of greed and envy are steep
bliss, love and joy are unattainable
unless we trust in our hearts’ wisdom
this human condition is inescapable

It is an anchor thickened with age
tiny fractures induced by love
do not lance its hardened core
scaled with the red rust of rage
it ensures I am uncared for

Infrangible are these chains
that have rendered me confined
interlocking coils I can’t seem to break
have inflicted immeasurable pain
and a lifetime of heartache

There are moments I believe I can soar
blinded by realistic illusions
I expand my wings and take flight
shocked disbelief as I crash once more
I lack sacred truth and simple insights

Do I give in and embody the tethers,
surrender to my self limitations and
buy the lies of this mortal mind?
Or stitch my brave heart back together
forever detached from the ties that bind?

I am a secondary character
in your story of Life
you only give me purpose
through what you decide

You define what I am
by how you perceive
but the truth is
you don’t know me

Knowledge gives reasons
for what you believe
even though it’s all lies
you continue to agree

It’s not fair to judge
by what you think you see
logic disconnects our nature
reducing us to domestic debris

Yes I am a secondary character
living my own dream
but I know purpose through feeling
so you can never define me

You are a secondary character
in someone else’s dream
so don’t be defined by their judgments
and you will set yourself free

She sits with misery, emptiness by her side
heavy waves of noisy despair
rush in and out of her mind
like the discordant crush of evening tides

Love waits patiently not far behind
for the perfect moment
to tickle her tepid heart in a
secret chamber where Hope resides

The first light of dawn glitters in eyes
time to heal won’t stand still
so Love’s spark ignites the wick of Hope
setting fire to her desires inside

The truth rejects every lie
as she gives birth to inner wisdom
there’s no room for despair
so misery takes emptiness outside

She sits with joy, compassion by her side
light waves of quiet peace
flow through her hopeful heart
like the rhythmic perfection of morning tides

Love exists from earth to sky
every moment is perfect
while the wick of Hope burns
so does her desire to shine

She rests in grainy white sand
the sun glistening on her winter skin
warm waves caress bare legs
her breathe in rhythmic perfection
as the ocean’s harmonies
greet the silence of land

Her eyes match the bluest of skies
she gazes into its blissful abyss
welcoming the sanctuary
of ancient and timeless wisdom
as peripheral vision fades away
so do lifetimes of dead lies

Gratitude adorns the soles of her feet
and she rises from lifetimes of pain
each step away from the past
invites a deeper sense of ease
as she walks into the present
love is what she does to feel complete