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Erica M Corley Sep 2015
Obedience,
ECHOING LOUD,
In the hallway,
Of decisions

It's THUMPING,
Like war drums,
In your canals

But, can you HEAR it?
AK Bright May 2015
I think somewhere down the line in our parents' efforts to give us everything they never had, they forgot to give us what they Did have~

Grandpa had grit
He knew how to fight
Not for sport
but for that which was right

Up at dawn
His trade was life
Doing what he must
Dusting off strife

He'd say "It's just a reminder
that we're all still alive"
He'd just square back his shoulders
and cut Hell down to size

All but gone are the days
of men standing strong
Everything's grey
there's no right or wrong

We sit back and wonder
where our glory days went
I saw them galloping towards purgatory
saddled with truth, upon common sense
George Krokos May 2015
The truth is sometimes said to be stranger than fiction
which is why it requires at times a lot more conviction.
__________
From "Simple Observations" ongoing writings since the early '90's.
Amitav Radiance May 2015
People will try to read you less
When you have said the truth
As truth is not always palatable
Stand your ground like a rock
Face the inclement weather
Winds of change will bring respite
A monk and warrior
Such contradiction
He sat there
Quietly
Burning
With Such conviction
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thích_Quảng_Đức
Seán Mac Falls Sep 2014
I came to the pavilion of the big cats
And in the center was a palace ruin,
The walls were stone and feeble mortar,
The great, golden monarch was the lion.

With wisdom eyes, he gazed upon me,
I lowered my head as was my station,
He did not move, nor deign to care,
In His royal chamber I was under thrown.

I thought, you are caught my over lord,
But his stance said, these bars are scepter
And I heard him say with a long lost roar,
'Hear my horn, I am he, the storm of Jericho.'

In the palace of the mighty, indifferent, king
His thundering voice crackled the lambing
Stables and even heaven closed under ceiling
Dome and I was caged when the walls fell away
And the whole, blown world, remade— a zoo.
LCB Jul 2014
I would rather be strong
I would rather be able
I would rather be admired for my spirit
and convictions than on how prettily I smile.
I can take a door off its hinges
in under 2 minutes.
And I can do it heels and dress.
I'd rather know how to change a tire
Than how to call for help.

I would rather be gutsy
I would rather live without fear.
I would rather lead the march
Then bring up the rear.
I can dive off a cliff
from 80 feet up
And never balk as I lift off the edge.
I know that kindness and encouragement can bring success
Faster than belittling and disdain.

I would rather be smart
I would rather be confident
I would rather hold passionate discussions
Than make petty small talk.
Engage me with ideas of philosophy and literature.
Tell me about space and democracy.
Don't ask me about the weather.

I would rather be gallant
I would rather be good.
I would rather chance getting hurt
Than close up my heart "as I should"
I'm kind to all people
I love, trust, and have faith.
I'd rather feel love than put distrust in its place.

But that's just me.
Who would you rather be?
Seán Mac Falls Jun 2014
I came to the pavilion of the big cats
And in the center was a palace ruin,
The walls were stone and feeble mortar,
The great, golden monarch was the lion.

With wisdom eyes, he gazed upon me,
I lowered my head as was my station,
He did not move, nor deign to care,
In His royal chamber I was under thrown.

I thought, you are caught my over lord,
But his stance said, these bars are scepter
And I heard him say with a long lost roar,
'Hear my horn, I am he, the storm of Jericho.'

In the palace of the mighty, indifferent, king
His thundering voice crackled the lambing
Stables and even heaven closed under ceiling
Dome and I was caged when the walls fell away
And the whole, blown world, remade— a zoo.
Mikaila Jun 2014
You really can do whatever you want, you know.
People who say that aren't just naive optimists.
However, they do leave out a very important caveat:
You really can do whatever in the world that you want...
So long as you want it MORE than anything else in the world.

Like... say you want to leave town.
Maybe you don't do it.
Maybe you sit in your office and dream about getting on a plane but you never do.
Responsibilities, money, family, friends, fear...
Excuses.
Honestly,
Excuses.
The truth that people don't like to face because it makes them uncomfortable is that if you REALLY wanted to leave town,
If you wanted that and only that,
If you wanted it more than anything else in your entire life,
You would do it.
That is the simple truth about... most impossible things.
You want it? You've got it. But you've got to be willing to give up every other thing in your entire life in pursuit of it.
You've got to know yourself well enough to know, absolutely KNOW, that this thing is what you want, what your soul craves, what your dreams revolve around.
You have got to be 100% dead SURE that what you want is what you WANT.
And if you are, if you can know that and face it and understand how selfish it might be to abandon everything else in your life for it, and if somehow it still pulls you towards it like a magnet even with all the rationality and doubt and practical thinking you can throw at it...
Then that is your purpose. Your dream. And you will have it.

That said, anyone who thinks I'm unreasonable, or silly, or naive, or wasteful for going after love...
Quite simply, I know what I want.
I know who I want.
I know what makes me happy.
And since I know it so clearly, so utterly, so inescapably, I couldn't possibly live with myself if I didn't do everything I could to have it.
And it's not an easy path, knowing what you want.
Because when the answer is no, it's no to your deepest dreams, to your heart's most aching desire.
When you have to wait, you have to wait for air to fill your lungs, you have to wait to be born.
When you lose it, you lose the sun, you lose the earth under your feet, you lose the courage to look in the mirror.
But when you have it... when you have it, you have a home.
I know what I want. I want love. I want to be happy.
I want to do what I love doing, and I want to be with who I adore.
And if I know that, and I admit that, and I put everything I can into that...
Well then,
It's not over until I breathe my last breath.
I haven't failed until I've fallen.
And I think I can live with that.
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