Long ruled by others' whims,

coerced too much by the force of their convictions,

oddly oblivious to my own...

at last I am determined to set my own course

and establish my own path,

now I walk into the wind, though hurricanes blow.

Falling and staying down is not an option,

so when strong desire & stark reality

seem like strangers passing in the night,

only so vaguely aware of each other,

I must determine whether I will trust

the folly of hope or the certainty of pain

and keep walking no matter what.