Change

Change is on its way
its time to say good-bye;
good-bye to what was.
The nexus has been reached,
my path forked along two paths.
Down one lies safety, comfort.
Static and unchanging, a fortress against fear.
Down the other lies perils, hardships.
A wide open future, risk taking.
Ever changing and fluid, there is fear.
Would I do the right thing,
make the right choices?
Whatever happens, will I be changed?
That is something none of us will know,
won't know 'til the end.
Trials and tribulations will await us,
but how we handle them and the changes they bring,
they will define us.
For to truly experience life,
I must travel the path called Change.

---

Learning

Twilight is falling upon us,
soon it will be time for us to part ways.
The sun sets on another year.
A new day will dawn,
but not quite like this one.
New friends, experiences, passions.
We take these with us as we set out on our travels.
We laughed together in our fun;
we cried when things went awry.
Learning didn't always come easy,
sometimes we were dealt harsh lessons.
But we picked ourselves up and carried on.
And sometimes we learned we shouldn't take life for granted;
circumstances can change in a flash.
Some days were too hard to bear on our own,
and we needed a friend to hold on to.
Needed a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear.
When roads got rocky, though, we persevered.
We also found that a day could be made brighter;
a laugh here, a smile there worked wonders.
When frustrations mounted and threatened,
we took a step back and reviewed.
We worked together as a team to achieve goals we set.
When a senseless tragedy struck the nation,
we worked to make sure it didn't happen here.
We learned to work together in spite of differences of opinion,
never letting them poison our relationships.
Some days we asked if anyone really did care,
and it was tough to carry on.
But someone always did care, and we learned that too.
Fate was fickle to us at times,
events took place beyond control on occasion,
yet we carried on.
We learned to live, and that life does indeed go on.
When the new day does dawn and we leave,
we will all find new friends, new causes,
but it will not be quite the same.

---

Random Acts of Violence

Last night a mother cried,
last night a father tried to be strong,
another senseless massacre took their only child,
and now they only ask why.
Last night lives were shattered,
last night pieces were tried to be put together,
senseless anger driving a stake through the heart,
and a nation asks why.
Last night we wept,
last night a nation tried to band together,
another random act of violence.
and all we can ask is why.

dedicated to the people who lost their lives and the families of the victims.

---

Testing Ground

The old man sat beside the hearth, thinking;
pondering deep in thought about what had been,
and what could have been, as well.
Was he as really as good as they said,
or could he have been better still?
A question for the ages he asks himself.
"I traveled the lands far and near looking for the challenge.
A challenge of arms, of mind, of heart.
I faced all comers and never retreated from a contest.
Every land I went to, I did battle; and no matter the challenge,
I always came back the victor, never the vanquished.
Everywhere I went, it was whispered that I was a son of gods,
or perhaps I was demon spawn, but never was I treated as a mere mortal.
No one knew my name; I was simply the Master.
But still I searched for more in which to test my skills against.
When one land ran out of challenges, I simply moved on.
But still I found no one who could beat me.
And still I searched, not really knowing what I was looking for.
In truth, I was only a man;
a man who was afraid of being viewed as a failure.
I had to prove to myself that I was capable.
So strong was my fear that I didnt allow myself to love.
I couldnt bear another seeing my weaknesses.
And thus, I do perceive that was where I lost.
I expended vast amounts of time and energy to find my failure, and all along it was already right inside me.
I failed myself in the effort of trying to prove my worthiness to others.
It matters not what others think of one, only what one thinks of themselves.
Only now do I realize my mistake, but it is too late for me.
I am old and dying now and can no longer bear to tell this tale.
So I hoped you listened well and hard and learned from my mistakes."

The old man, though is wrong; it is never too late to learn that valuable lesson;
the lesson that you only have to prove yourself to yourself, no other.
What had been his biggest failure is now success;
he passed the only test that had truly been given him,
and that is how he should be remembered;
not as the Master, but one who finally found the truth.