The Weeping Stars and Stripes

What is happening?
The once glowing beacon
The shining city on the hill
Is growing dim

We used to be great
But what have we become?
We let compromise be our king
Our death sentence

How can this happen?
The things we once upheld
Were truth, but now opinion
Our dirty lense

The slow fade begins
When ethics mean nothing
When morals become subjective
Truth is said false

Founded on the rock
The most firm foundation
We were once a theocracy
We have fallen

We once saw beauty
We once sought true justice
Soon we will see how far we fell
One day too late

Writing

The more I write, the more I notice all the things around me. Dr. Cotton says it makes us more mindful, more aware, more "present"- that ever-repeated word of his that has so grown in value to me.
He also says it helps in processing the darker side of life. There are some questions that can't be answered- there are some feelings and emotions that are troublesome to articulate. Some things go so deep that even to speak of them is embarrassing. People just don't talk like that. It's too intense, too raw, too much. Treading at the surface is so much more comfortable; it has become so normal. No one wants to hear it. No one wants to see someone run around naked in public, much less do it themselves. Indecent exposure is, in fact, illegal.
So we write. Really, there are few people who don't. We don't have anyone to talk to anymore, no one besides these blank pages.
Here we process all this; here our own thoughts condnese into verbiage that is coherent and proceeds to rain on those who would take the time to think in these tender areas of the mind and feel along with one another those same things we all feel but are too proud to speak of.
And if questions can't be answered, if circumstances can't be explained, and when life doesn't fit into these formulas we've invented, I want to write about it. I want to go there.
So let's go there. Let's write about it.

Beyond the Bridge

Beyond the Bridge

My heart was beating in time with the quick, muffled footsteps across the lush plain. Was it the sheer stillness of the night that caused my heart to pound so furiously? Or perhaps the exhaustion from running for as long as my four comrades and I had been running? No, I would have guessed that my heart was beating quickly in expectation of what I knew was soon to come. I knew that it would be the most trying moment of my life. The ones that ran with me I had met on the journey. Two of them had the same purpose in mind when I met them, but the other two were taking a different route, an easier route. Fortunately, they came to realize that this was the only way that would last. I knew it would not be easy, but I knew that it was worth it. Although, there were things I did not know. I did not know the exact nature of the entity that I would be faced with in the end. I did not how I would react when I met with it. Mostly, I did not know if I was yet prepared enough. I thought back to the moment that set me off on this fateful adventure.

I was sitting on the shore of my favorite little pond. I could always feel peaceful and by myself when I went there, because it was surrounded on all sides by tall, stony cliffs. However, that particular time I was not at peace. I had fled to the pond because of a tense inward struggle between what was true and what was a lie.
I cried out, “Somebody give me an answer!” My cry reverberated off the surfaces of the tall cliffs circling the pond. I knew no one would respond. I exclaimed it more for myself than for anyone to actually hear. I was truly surprised when, immediately after my exclamation, the water began to stir. A small, bright orb floated up through the surface of the pond. It shone brightly as it slowly floated toward me. Oddly, I was not afraid. I was actually quite intrigued by the floating, luminescent ball.
A voice came forth from the orb. “You know the way, child.”
I was confused by what it said. “What?”
“You already know the way you need to go.”
“I do?”
“Yes, but you have been avoiding it.”
I thought a little about that. It was true. There was one path that I knew was the right one. It was just too hard.
The orb spoke, “Even though it is hard, that path is the one you must take.”
“But everyone else is taking the other path.”
“Not everyone. Most are, sadly, but there are a few who are already following the true path. This should not matter though. It would still be the true path if you were alone in it.”
“But what if I trip? Will I have the strength to stand?”
“I always provide a way to stand up. I will give you the strength that you need, if you will trust me.”
I liked what the orb was saying very much. For some reason, I knew that it was sincere. It seemed as if I had known about this orb forever, but I never thought of it in that form. “I trust you.”
“Are you sure? There will be times when it may seem as if I had left. You must trust that I remain.”
“I am sure of it. I trust you. Will you guide me?”
“Yes, I will be your light when all else is dark. I will show the way.” With that, the strange orb floated farther toward me until it entered into my chest, into my heart. Ever since that moment, I followed the guiding light of the orb.

I was pulled back out of my thoughts by one of my comrades next to me saying, “I believe we are drawing near. What if it is stronger than us?”
I did not answer. The orb appeared again in front of me. I asked, “Are we prepared enough? I’m worried.”
The orb bobbed in front following the same direction we were. “Yes, you are prepared. Why do you doubt?”
“I’m just afraid that if it comes to a battle, we are not strong enough.”
“It will come to a battle, but not one that you would consider normal. I have called you to be above the normal. Therefore, the battles you fight for me will be more than normal. You cannot win fighting like this world fights. You can only win by faith. Do you trust me?”
“Yes, I trust you.”
“Now is the time to show just how much.” The orb disappeared back inside my chest.
One of my comrades shouted, “There it is!” Before us lay a bridge spanning the length of a great rushing river. Beyond the river, there was a brilliant forest of gold, crimson, and alabaster filled with marvelous beings of light in joyful chorus. Their song seemed to beckon us across the bridge.
Once we were a stone’s throw from the bridge, an enormous dark being rose up before us. It seemed to be made of pure shadow, but so dense that it was almost tangible. Its eyes glowed a vicious blood-red.
It spoke in a deep menacing voice. “Turn back. It is all a lie.” The sound seemed to echo on forever.
I shouted firmly to the menace, “We will pass this bridge.”
It laughed evilly. “Can you not see? All that is beyond this bridge is not what you think it is. These wondrous sights you see have been fabricated within your mind by a lie. You have been deceived. Turn back while you still can.”
I paused for a moment, only a moment. “I trust in the one that does not lie. You are made of deceit. We will pass!”
“Everyone else is going the other way. Be wise and follow them.”
“We were called to go beyond the ordinary. We trust in the one that is true. You are nothing! We will pass!”
“Bow to me, and I will show you the truth.”
“You are a lie! WE WILL PASS!”
I charged, followed by my friends. Someone had to take the first step. I knew that I was called to take it. With the momentum we gained from our strong faith and passion, the five of us rushed straight through the menace and over the bridge. The moment our feet touched the other bank, the bridge and everything behind it vanished, and the wondrous sight of the golden forest stretched out beyond the horizon on every side. It was paradise forever.
All because we chose to go beyond that which was ordinary.