Smoke Signal

Smoke Signals 6/5/2012

We might ask ourselves
In the middle of the night
Is this all there is?
And can it ever be enough?

Just another day
Sinking where we stand
Wasting away the hours
Slowly crawling
Like a snail on a razor.

Blood and water
Flesh and bone
As simple as mud
Without a heart
Or a soul.

I am not the same man
That I used to be
And I will never be the same
The old washed away
And forgotten.

My mistakes replay
Over and over again
Still paying royalties
In loneliness and pain.

But even the hardest lessons
Can work out for our good
When we learn from the past
And take another turn.

Then and only then
Does the distance crumble
And the pain diminish
As we slowly get up
To rise and fight again.

Today is the beginning
Of another long battle
As the first shots echo
And the smoke rises.

Off in the distance
Others gather and watch
Hesitant to decide
And hedging their bets.

But hell is full
Of the weak and indecisive
Always waiting for a perfect moment
The one that never comes.

Fearful for their livelihood
And afraid of ridicule
Keeping their mouths shut
On their way to the end.

But today the mortgage is due
And today we must decide
Either to jump the fence
Or follow the herd.

Count me out
Because I have made my choice
And I will not die easy
Or quiet.

I will not hold back
And I will not be distracted
Heading straight for the problem
Without regret or doubt.

Holding up the banner
And charging through the field
Straight into the enemy
No matter what the cost.

Because even death
Is better than tyranny
And even sweet oblivion
Is better than silence.

Fire until the barrels melt
And remember from where you came
True enough to fill the gap
And full of firery passion.

Because even the famous
Must die alone
And even the powerful
Can’t defeat time.

All dust and bones
And all scattered to the winds
Longer dead than alive
Meaningless and forgotten.

But larger than life
Shall remain the courageous
The loyal
And the true.

Because even if abused
And even if denied
God remembers
And heals.

I’ll see them then
And they shall see me
After all this is past
And wasted away.

In ten thousand years
We will still have forever
Greater than what we were
And far better
Than what we are.