Poetry

If I were to look back at this life of mine
At times of folly, foolishness
At times of joy and conquest
At times of sadness, times of repenting
Times of great victories and times of smaller ones
Both of equal importance and equal meaning
At times when the world had crashed and the scars on my soul
Were unequalled in pain and sorrow

I would smile at my silliness
Be embarrassed at my joy, my ego, my loves and losses
Celebrate my victories and my times of losing
Rejoice in my recognition of the equality of a smile and the meaning of a gift and the beauty of a soul
I would shed tears at my times of sadness
And chase bittersweet memories across the dream scape of the memories of my life
And finally I would lay exhausted with my heart laying rent open upon the hearth of my home
And I would sift through it searching for diamond drops of memories

And if one would see me in such a state
they would be prone to ask 'What would you change?'
Nothing, not one thing I would say
Then, after a contemplative moment
Except I would say whilst challenging myself
Whilst drawing a sword of courage and casting aside a shield of shame
I would shout loudly to the world
I would have sung louder,
Smiled brighter
given harder
seen beauty quicker
shared smiles more often
hugged harder
loved better
I would learn to play my soul better
I would paint teardrops so I could find happiness easier
I would have danced with more abandon and with more people
And also rejoiced in dancing alone
I would laugh at the small problems so I could help solve the big ones
I would see dreams in clouds and taste the future in morning dew
I would find thoughts profound in flames
And see the wondrous beauty in a small rock, a leaf, a single blade of grass in a piece of bark upon a tree.
From this I would know what makes a view majestic and a soul so small yet so big
I would worship the spirits of the untainted ones, the children, the meek, those unable to protect themselves.
I would strive to heal the evils of the world and learn to love with an open hand
I would learn to write songs of humility and to plant seeds of hope and healing
Then I would turn to the one who asked the question and say
What about you? What will you change?