Beautifully Doomed

We live our lives on delicate wings, fragile as a painted butterfly. A shooting star, promised not to last, Shining short across a darkened sky. Our strength is in delicate nature, We burn fast and we burn bright, An intense fire, never meant to last, Beautifully doomed and into the void We’re a feather on a breeze, A word in the darkness, A teardrop in a storm, lost in time. We shine bright, we fall hard but when we fly we soar. And when we love, we fill an eternity. All our dreams and actions are blown away like footprints in a gentle snow, Yet in our fiercest moments, we leave footprints in the stone. But when the flames of youth have burned, they leave a charred darkness in their place. The colours of the seasons change and let their palates paint our face. Time is a teacher, a healer, A killer, a stealer, Leaving just memories to keep us warm, Fleeting moments among the mundane, Until all memory is gone. Perfect in our imperfections we stand against the storm, But the rain will fall like it’s always done, The wisdom of an age trickles steadily away, lost unto us all. And the river flows on, relentless, Engulfing and directing our course, We feel the ripples of those we love, Whose lives are pressed against ours. I have a lifetime of things to share with you in the moments that between us remain, But trying to hold you in this erratic dance is like trying to catch the wind that whispers your name. So I sit and stare through opaque memories which colour the light winter sends, And I ponder these streets, colder now, echoing footfalls of fallen friends. Slaves to the free moving hands of time which bind our hands in the end. And even those sterling hands must rust, The cracked glass, still glitters among friends.

Steel against the storm

Standing at the starting line, but this is not the start, This journey began long ago, in mind and sinew, blood and heart. The steps I took, the plans I made, they’ve led me to this point. Muscles tight, eyes are wide as tension starts to bite The internal shiver, my gut clenching. Dedication led me here, And I’m suddenly aware of the battle ahead, Anticipation, Fear. A crisp wind stings my face, snaps my mind back into focus, I see the course, I know each turn, each twist as they begin to open. I dig down deep inside myself for the strength I know I hold, And prepare to go the distance on roads that never lead to home The incessant beat of heavy feet like hammer blows on stone, As we start the trails, inside my mind I know I’m on my own. A chorus rises all around, in voice a thousand strong, And all the time, a single voice inside whispers, Keep the beat, and carry on. Keep the pace, and carry on. Overwhelmed with fear, feeling small, it’s all too far, too much. Then the meek voice rises up to say “now it’s time to push”. People all around me, I’m not racing them, but me, They’ll carry me along with them, like driftwood to the sea. I’m not fighting against the road any more, I’m fighting my own mind. The monotony and thoughts unleashed Conspire to make me blind. But I’ve been here before, I’ve conquered before, I’m running on top of the world. I’ll lose myself, I’ll find myself as the way ahead unfurls. The cold bites, emotions snapping at my heels. The passion and the will to win is all that I can feel. The only voice I hear now is steady, true and strong, As it becomes a friend to rely upon, Keep the pace and carry on. Keep the beat and carry on. As the storm breaks on the mountain and the trees begin to bend, Determination tells me I’ll still be there at the end. The pounding on the winding trails, the stirring of the sea. And I can break the mountain But the mountain won’t break me. Feed the forge inside, Pain and glory. Pushing mind and body to the limit as I write the chapters of my own story. Iron will, I’m the steel against the storm. The thoughts of crossing that hallowed line are all that keep me warm. Every fibre of my body, every muscle glowing sore, And the voice, long ceased it’s whispering, now becomes a roar. Through gritted teeth I focus on the end of this ordeal, Though I’ve never felt so much alive through all it’s made me feel. Despair, dejection, now elation, Excitement makes me soar. And the finish line is not the end. I’ve achieved, now I thirst for more. Keep on pushing, carry on.