With the sunlight on my face,
All the walls surrounding me; opaque,
The outside world completely efface,
I found myself, now awake.
The fortress of my captivity,
Keeping me alive but still,
The fortress of my incompetency,
The last of me it killed.
The pleasure it tingled,
Cannot be replaced,
Still I wish to run away,
To the land outside these gates,
All the gold I have,
Is nothing but metal,
All the joy I need,
Is not for what I’ve settled,
This fortress of my solitude,
Forever screaming the pains it felt,
This fortress of my extinction.
With me, dying many deaths.
Curtains in this room,
Stopped speaking now,
Left their bodies here,
And heart outside the realm, astound.
It’s marvellous how miserable I am,
With all the wonders at my foot,
The jewels, the pleasures,
Even so,
I’d love to take all my plans and scram.
The palace of illusion,
I am living in,
Has given me more than I ever deserved,
Yet the feeling of me belonging in the field,
Is something I’ve always preserved .
The fortress of my hopelessness,
Falling down now,
With the reign of my lord changing,
In front of an unknown king we bow,
Thrown out of this boundary,
Helplessness prevails,
But the joy it brought me,
I set a new sail.
For life has always been,
Catastrophic,
Dreadful it seemed,
It felt worthwhile now,
Alas! It is just a dream.

as a babe on mama's breast
a time to sleep, a time to rest
no worries there, no time of test
as she held us to her chest

then came a time to fall and balk
eventually we learned to walk
then, stuttering, a building block
eventually we learned to talk

eventually truth made us cry
soon we learned to question why
and we found out by and by
it's much easier to lie

we worked at it, there was a "trick"
and with each twist became more sick
our candles burned down to the wick
we built our walls up brick by brick

because of other people's stealth
and the need to accrue wealth
we protected pride and self
and put our conscience on the shelf

in this mire of greed and pride
we built our fortress tall and wide
our morals then began to slide
and then we're truly dead inside

around our castle dug a moat
alligators there to float
in its safety we could gloat
became more distant and remote

how could we let people in?
if we're locked safely within?
hoarding all with deathly grin
did we really truly win?

the time is right, the need is great
to build a bridge, ***** a gate!
soul starvation is your fate
and then, my friends, it is too late!

you are dying by degrees
you are starving, under siege!
Oh, what a tangled web we weave!
and within is where we freeze
time to get down on our knees

set an arch, light a fire
dance around the funeral pyre!
of your hatred and desire
yes, my friends, you can move higher!

let everybody see the light
as it breaks through dead of night
break free people! You must fight!
in the end you'll come to sight!

sing! Oh yes! make glorious sound!
let your bridge be solid ground!
you'll find if you look around
you were lost

but now you're found!


SoulSurvivor
written 11/7/2013
rewritten 12/26/2015
(C) all rights protected

I have been practicing singing this in acapella.


~~~~~~~o0o~~~~~~~

rock of ages cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee;
let the water and the blood,
from thy wounded side which flowed,
be of sin the double cure;
save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labors of my hands
can fulfill thy law's demands;
these for sin could not atone,
thou must save,and thou alone.
In my hand no price I bring,
simply to thy cross I cling;

While I draw this fleeting breath,
when mine eyes shall close in death,
when i rise to worlds unknown,
and behold thee on thy throne,
Rock of ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee

~~~~~~~o0o~~~~~~~

ROCK OF AGES
WORDS: AUGUSTUS TOPLADY, 1775
SUNG BY: ANTRIM MENNONITE CHOIR
VIDEO BY: *SE SAMONTE

Come together gentle soul,
And unite against the dark shackles,
You no longer bear.

Melt them with a smile,
And craft a shield,
To fend off the fleeing sorrow.

Can one laugh and shudder,
At the same time,
Putting flowers on old graves?

Happily,
I used to count the headstones.
As if they'd build a fortress,
That kept feelings away.

And now I place daisies on watchtowers,
Tulips in gun barrels,
Daffodils on my past graves.

Seeking words to explain,
Why sunshine came from rain,
And joy came from pain,
Holding my own hand for the first time.

The darkness surrendered,
Iron chorus bells ring.
A miracle for millennia,
I have warmth to bring.

**Fortress walls come down,
Smile with your eyes.
Part of your soul comes awake,
When another part dies.

Every rock of insult
She caught
And kept buried
Piled up
Till a fortress was built
Around her failing heart