Cold Mountain

Cold Mountain 6/15/2012

They can look me in the eye
If they have the guts
But I shall not give in
Not here
And not anymore.

I shall make no excuses
And no apologies
Not for who I am
And not for where
I have been.

There is no power greater
And there is no better argument
Than the truth
No matter how we like it
And no matter how we phrase it.

I am in you
And you are in me
Our blood mixed in the bone
And our souls merged
Back to zero.

This is the point
Of no return
The place where dead enders go
And the place where the living die.

They say the moon is dead
Lifeless, gray, and cold
But they have not seen the ghosts
On the inside
Of the darkside.

There is always more
Than what you see
And there is always a way out
Straight though
And in between.

I was born for this
And so also were you
To live through this time
Tortured, tested and tried.

To either rise above
Or sink below
To find the answer
Right before our eyes.

They say that its over
And they think they have won
But even in the darkest hour
The sun shines through.

I am not searching for validation
And there is no sense
In needy expectation
So I don't look, to receive
What I have given.

Many victories have been won
By the persistent and the aggressive
Wearing down the opposition
Until all resistence disappears.

But there is no greater victory
Than the sufferings of the righteous
Who remained loyal until the end
No matter what the cost.

Who were good in spite of the pain
And noble in loss
Never giving an inch
Though covered with shame.

This will hurt
And that is all
Anyone can tell
Until it is over
And we are done.

To be attacked and ridiculed
Is not the worst thing
We can suffer
For far greater it is
To die unto yourself.

Therefore welcome the loss
And embrace the insult
Accepting the labels
For whatever it is worth.

For only the good shall know
What it means to sacrifice
And only the worthy
Can be offered up.

There will always be heartache
And there will always be joy
But even the worst
Feels better with love.

If we fail the test
Then we will surely
Take it again
Until we have learned
To live it through.

There will never come a day
Without a nagging doubt
And there will never be a challenge
Without obstacles or setbacks.

To whom all this belongs
Is the one who makes the choice
To either stand up
Or fall down.

Learning to live
And learning to walk
Giving an accepting love
Every day of the year.

Pass the pipe
And take a swig
Because even this too shall pass
And dissolve into time.

Yes even the evil shall fall
And never be remembered
But the good shall live forever
In our hearts and in our minds.

God gave us life
And God gave us a choice
The easy part is accepting
And the hard part is to remember.

Take it from one
Who has tried it both ways
That it is easier to be good
Than to get what you want.

Because all the glory in the world
Is nothing in the end
Just a whisper in the wind
And just a grain of sand.

Lost in a heartbeat
And left without a trace
Abandoned in the storm
And forgotten by time.

The kind of love that conquers
May not be what you think
And may not be
Just as we want
But he who waits and prays
Shall reap the best of all.