'Home of the Brave and Land of the Free'
We're all locked up in a cage we can't see
There's no bars or doors, no whips and no chains
Just lines drawn on maps by our Kings and our Queens
They speak of the monsters who pose us a threat
So call forth the troops, our own army of death
But they won't send the king or his henchmen, oh no!
It's an army of 'G.I. Expendable Joes'!
For wars waged by governments who are so quick to blame
When a child stops to ask why their hands are bloodstained

A young girl waves at a man with a cane
The man rolls his eyes and thinks "Oh, not again."
He turns his nose up in the air
And with great conviction he declares;
'Now my child, there are people over hither
and you best believe that they're horrible sinners.
They've killed and they've maimed and you could be next,
because they all live their lives by some ridiculous text.'

The child looks up with innocent eyes, and
says to the man who seems quite frightened;
'That's horrible sir, but did you ever consider,
that the people you're killing are our brothers and sisters?'

But of course the man knows better than a child!
'So young and naïve.. ' he said with a smile.
'Protecting our country is what we must do,
To give a nice life to people like you.
If you think you know better, then tonight come for dinner,
and I'll tell you why we are justified killers!'

This man thinks he's allowed to decide
Between those who can live, and those who must die
With a bunch of lies used as a device
To have acts of violence decriminalised
She clenched her fist, feeling anger arise
So with a deep breath, she began her reply;

'Sir, I really don't mean to sound bitter
but you're starting to sound a little bit like ******.
As for the invite I'll have to decline,
'cause you're spinning web of poisonous lies.
I've talked to men like you before,
you seem to think you're above the law.
Every week there's more and more shady deals behind closed doors.
I know we give arms to those people we're fighting
To create the conditions to put them in blight,
Just to get an excuse to ignore Civil Rights,
With 'collateral damage' to do what we like.
The political class make us choose 'left or right',
But it's just a bad joke and pernicious punch line.
You aid the wolves who lurk in the shadows,
That prey on the people who're treated like cattle.
Herd them in and churn them out.
To line your pockets with fear and doubt!'

'I'll tell you a story of a man I once knew.
He went off to war to serve people like you.
But when he came back, he took his own life.
He blew out his brains with his own service rifle.
He was found by his wife who discovered a note.
A final goodbye, and on the inside he'd wrote;
"I've tried to go on, but it's how things must be.
I'll never forget all the horrors I've seen.
They're inside my head and they play on repeat,
And the thought of death only fills me with peace.
For my family, I'm sorry I couldn't be there
But don't cry for me, for I was already dead."
It's much harder now it's just me and my mother,
'cause the man in that story; that man was my father.'

The girl stopped to breathe for a moment or two
But she wouldn't stop there, not until she was through
With sadness and rage, her whole body shook
She continued her speech with a stamp of her foot;

'So don't you dare tell me that I am naïve!
I may be young, but I won't be deceived.
I once thought life was all about me,
and I fought with my friends cos we'd never agree.
I wanted mine and they wanted theirs,
But we all found some peace when we all chose to share.
There's a reason we get that feeling inside,
That tries to tell us that something's not right.
And it hurts to accept that for most of your life,
You pushed it aside just so you could get by.
But pain can manifest in you as something truly beautiful,
Just let it out and you will see,
The pain we hide can set us free.
I'm getting carried away here mister,
I have one last thing to say, so listen...'

The girl stood tall with eyes ablaze
And with the back of her hand, she wiped the tears from her face
The man tried to interject, but then finally she spoke again;

'The people of Earth will forever rebel,
If it's heaven for few, but for many it's hell.
We must move forward.. Even if we crawl!
Or why are we even here at all?'

The man looked down in disbelief
Such passion dwelled just underneath
He gathered himself and took a knee
When their eyes were level, he had to concede
'You're a clever girl and I've got to say,
I think you'll be a success one day.
And I'm sorry to hear of your loss, young lady
But I have to go 'cause there's cash to be made.'

There's a part of this story I've forgotten to mention
It's really quite simple, but please pay attention
We claim we want peace, but continue to fight
So there's got to be an alternative, right?

If we take what we've learnt then it could be applied
To try an idea that's been lost in time
Remove all the borders and what do you find?
One planet united, for all of mankind

Life itself is the greatest teacher I've found
Cos she always speaks Truth, but she won't speak aloud
And I'll never be sure if it was a dream
But I once heard her voice in a mountain stream
She spoke these words, so I wrote them down;
"Keep your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground."

You walked into the parking lot surrounded
By the smell of cheap perfume, gasping for air,
I'd actually climbed 2 flights of stairs,
And the man who brought us to the garage
Told me that my poor baby, my poor sweet car
Was to be left in there for more than a week,
She'd sprung a leak and the doctor was saying
So much that I wish he'd just not even speak,
Cursed old man, watch when you drink the beers!
The double trouble had turned into a smashing spiral,
My banged up car was so good through the years,
It made my boring reclusive life seem so meaningful.

dance around things you don't mean, like a drunken prideful nomad. I represent everything I am missing. yes I, what do I mean

I'm glad I got the chance to know you
You were always there for us
In the good times and bad times
You always knew just what to say and do.

Comforting us whenever we needed you,
we could talk about anything.
No matter how good or how bad things were,
I knew we could count on you

When we got married you were there
when I wrote my book, you were proud of me.
When I got sick or if I got hurt,
you were there and made me feel better.

You always had a great sense of humor,
even when you were at your worst.
I'll always cherish the great times we had,
at the farm and at holiday time.

I'll remember all the homemade dinners,
that you cooked for us
Whenever we were there, on the farm,
and the good and bad things you shared with us.

Thank you for letting me in,
and thank you for being you.
No matter how anyone looks at it,
You will always be my second mom.

Thank you for all of your love and support,
you were the best second mom I could ever have.

I love you with all my heart,
and I will always miss you!!!

Denise Seymour
March 26th, 2015

I felt the weight of a million universes on my shoulders and in my head, pounding

Blood rushing to my head and I cannot fathom obtaining any peace until my blood has stopped pumping

Undesirable, inconsolable, insecure, three words to describe my demeanor

Torn from what I wanted , needed, and all I knew, brought to a state of numbness

Walking around like an emotional, emotionless zombie, unable to think speak or feel properly

Heavy heavy heart, what more can you endure when all you've got left is shattered pieces, too shattered to put back together

My eyes fill like a bathtub and my skin tingles with a feeling of remorse

There's a deep pang at the back of my throat, and a sharp stab in the center of my chest, I cannot feel this way .

This is not what it is supposed to be.

Don't let society's words put a twist in your story. People only judge what they don't understand.
You're story is still meaningful. Keep it meaningful.

Grass is Greener*

Someone with one foot in, one foot out,
These days what relationships are about.
Find something meaningful, magical and rare,
Stick with that person, don't go anywhere.
The skies the same color wherever you go,
Fall for one person, dance to and fro.
Make it count, you only get one life,
Don't fill it with heartache, difficult love, and strife.
See happiness in one person and be true,
Stay together, do the work, see it through.
A lover, a best friend, someone in to confide,
The grass is not always greener on the other side.

****