all i got

"Got a mind that lends me strength so I ain't afraid to stand."

There are things I believe in wholeheartedly. Causes, candidates, ideals, and people. And I believe in my opinion. I believe in taking a stand. I believe that there is a fine line between concession and compromise.

My mind never stops thinking. I dream ideas, plans, and strategies. I see possibilities and beauty on every corner. I find inspiration in intelligence and altruism. I take in everything and let my mind turn everything into an action. A cause to advocate for. A subject to study. A story to write. A rightful compassion and determination.

I like to sit back and think. How can I express some distinct human story? Whose political opinions should I give deference to? When and where should I speak my mind? How can I do my part?

And it is here I find my focus, my clarity, my purpose.

shattered (turn the car around)

"How many times can I break 'til I shatter?"

There is a truth couched quietly in the eyes of Miranda James: She's dying inside. She's not sick. She's not old. She is simply giving up, day by day and hour by hour.

Miranda has survived a lot. She was orphaned when she was thirteen. She was in a near-fatal car accident when she was nineteen. She worked two jobs all four years of college to pay tuition and costs. She is a chemical engineer and only the fourth woman ever to work at her company.

Miranda's friends, family, and colleagues know she is strong. They think of her as a survivor. They reason that she has overcome so much and has handled so much in her life, that she is strong enough to handle anything that comes her way. That appears logical reasoning, but the human soul is not always logical.

In reality, Miranda is falling apart. Every obstacle has crushed her, but she has always rebuilt. She knows that she is not as strong now. She can feel the fight slowly slipping away. And it scares her and brings her even that closer to crashing.

If Miranda finds out today that she's been laid off, or that her sister has cancer, or that her house has caught on fire, or any other unforeseen disaster has occurred... Will this be the day she shatters? And if so, who will come to rebuild her?

my time has come

"Its okay. Be afraid. Its alright."

They could hear the guns coming. In fact they had heard them from at least two miles away. And they had almost gotten used to the sound, had let it slip into their subconcious so that it seemed as natural as hearing crickets chirp or rain fall. Then another sound came which stirred them all. The screams. The sound of men screaming in terror,in pain, in defeat. The enemy was close, with Death riding their coattails. They began to cower in the trench. Their hands trembled, their hearts raced. The fatigue of their five day journey, building the trench, and laying in it awake for fifteen hours suddenly settled in. They were terrified of what was approaching.

"You just take that fear, turn into your strength."

Then one man looked at his comrade and saw the fear in his eyes. He reached out and grabbed his arm. And that man did the same for the next. The chain continued until they were all connected, anchored by one man whose fear was overcome by his sense of duty to his fellow man. They knew then that this was why they came. To serve, protect, and, if need be, sacrifice. They turned towards the sound of the gunfire. They steadied their rifles. They lay quiet and still, until the enemy was nearly standing atop them. And they fought because they wanted to live but were prepared to die.

the impossible dream

"To be willing to march into hell for that heavenly cause."

Into the angry mouths of dogs
Into an endless ocean
Into the hands of a betrayer
Into her counselor's office

For each person to have the right to be a person
For a chance to be free
For us to get to heaven
For her brother to be saved from the beatings at home