Perfect

Perfect once stood before me
And I was oh so happy to meet her
My angel and promise lay right before my eyes.
Silence was her source of grace.
And the exterior seems flawless.
Porcelain skin lay upon her shivering bones.
With her auburn hair and tiny waist.
Flowing in her every motion.
She almost had me fooled.
Yet upon closer inspection her faults screamed.
The voice of a shattered spirit.
And a heart that just stopped beating.
She tries to hide her bloodshot eyes.
Her teeth are yellowing, her bones are broken:
This is Perfect's scarred and tattered face.
Perfect stands before a mirror.
Simple, lifeless, inanimate.
It is the enemy within her own.
Beauty was all that mattered to her.
Erasing the consequences .
As her life slowly slipped away.
Oblivion overtakes her.
As the darkness chokes at her throat.
Death looms closer by each passing second.
This is Perfect's scarred and tattered face.
This is Perfect's imperfections,
This is everything I want to be.

Quiet

Silence the echoes in the mind
The endless repeat refrains
The infinite unknowns you cannot find
In the hollow memory in your brains.
Quiet!
Speak not your recriminations
Put away the knives of old wrongs done
Silence your protestations
About a past that's dead and gone
Quiet.
What is done cannot be changed
What was said cannot be erased
But ... it does not need to set the stage
of all you do now, of your current pace.
Quiet, now.
Quiet ... now.
Walk forward; your past will not
Disappear if you walk away from it
But neither must it anchor your thought
Release yourself...
Enfold yourself in silence ... and be free.
Quiet.

Our Flag

Our flag is fabric wove of thread,
Carried by heroes live and dead.
She stands for justice and courage too,
With her colors; red, white and blue.

For all who serve her, they’ll be cheers,
For any who die, they’ll be tears,
For all who love her, life is swell,
For those who harm her, war is hell.

How many moms have cried before,
As they sent their children to war.
How many dads have not returned,
Because our freedom must be earned.

Wars were waged where brave men died
As patriots fought side by side.
Our flag is still the pearl of earth,
Because of those who prove her worth.

A Soldier's Prayer

It's time to sleep
I've been relieved

My rifle at my side
My knife in it's sheath

Lord let me live another day
As I put myself in harms way

I made my choice, I took the oath
I stand for freedom, but I don't boast

My God, my country, my family
The things I hold so dear

With these all on my side
There's nothing for me to fear

But if I should fall before my next relief
I will stand before you Lord with honor and dignity

So, while I'm here please make me strong
To fight the battles and right what's wrong

What It Takes

It takes strength to be firm,
It takes courage to be gentle.

It takes strength to conquer,
It takes courage to surrender.

It takes strength to be certain,
It takes courage to have doubt.

It takes strength to fit in,
It takes courage to stand out.

It takes strength to feel a friend's pain,
It takes courage to feel your own pain.

It takes strength to endure abuse,
It takes courage to stop it.

It takes strength to stand alone,
It takes courage to lean on another.

It takes strength to love,
It takes courage to be loved.

It takes strength to survive,
It takes courage to live.