Life is full of surprises…
the world is full of possibilities…
everybody can be happy one day
and then sad the next…
each of us all go through times
of grief and loss that make us
who will be going forward for the rest of our lives…
the best of us are often called upon
to pick ourselves up and asked
to commit ourselves to a cause
that is worth more than could possibly be known…
even those who may have never known
the hardships of those who have had
to fight their entire lives
sometimes have to become something
and someone who has to daily find the strength
to keep going and to keep doing what they
have been asked to do by a higher power
than themselves…
over time friends can become strangers,
allies can become adversaries,
and the relationships that we all share with some people
can become upended and never return
to how they once were -
because everything and everyone always changes…
pain and suffering can be the catalyst
responsible for transforming
an innocent into a soldier
who has to become a selfless survivor
on the battlefield of life that they envision before them -
while in private even the most fearless
and inspiring of leaders cry for their old life
and wish to return to a place and a time
when things were simpler
and they weren’t living every minute of their lives
as if they were in the middle of a war…
even the most beautiful of sunrises and sunsets
can give brief moments of peace, silence, and solace
to those who have little time to spare to enjoy the world
for how others still see and believe it to be;
however, time marches on,
the world continues to spin on its axis,
and the endless cycle of violence and chaos
does not stop spreading its shadow
across the landscape of the world -
and all any of us can do is keep to our word,
to stay true to the path in front of us, to keep doing our best,
to keep being all that we can be,
as we all soldier on.