I Survived

I Survived

06/24/2011

Dedicated to: Dane Hall

Intro:

Please, don’t ask me why I didn’t do

 things differently.

Just give me credit for being strong.

I can’t be hard on myself anymore,

Instead, I choose to boast about who I have become.

I thought that life was straight-forward,

I took everything for granted,

Assumed jobs would always be there.

I told myself destiny would always pick me,

But, I failed to realize

I was destined to learn,

I was chosen to write this story

And, if you ask me why this is such a great tale,

It’s because I survived.

I came home that day,

Threw my stuff down on the bed.

So disappointed after all this time,

They had not chosen me to be their employee.

I’ve been going on for six months now without a job,

I’ve lost more weight than is healthy,

I have destroyed personal possessions out of frustration,

I have cheated, lied, stolen and been very shady at times,

I have told the truth to such a painful extent,

That I’ve been called every name in the book…

I have ridden the tides of life,

With passion I’ve held deep…

In the end I am just an imperfect human being,

Trying to understand what this life is about.

Now, at least I can be the role model,

I’ve always dreamed of being.

I can be engaging with youths,

And let them know the value of being honest

In this world of ours.

It is such a rare thing!

Bridge

And I will tell my younger brothers:

Try not to take life so seriously all the time…

Don’t dwell on one moment.

Meditate, forgive, and avoid holding grudges…

You will be rewarded with love,

And you will live longer, I promise you this!

Embarrassed when they took me to the hospital naked,

Not even sure exactly what happened to me.

With so many family members looking down at me with sad eyes,

And the blood and tears smeared across my face,

I make a silent prayer that I will live through this,

And tell great stories of my survival,

And be the humanitarian the world needs right now.

Please, don’t ask me why I didn’t do

 things differently.

Just give me credit for being strong.

I can’t be hard on myself anymore,

Just let me boast because I’m still alive…

If you ask me why I consider myself a lucky man,

It’s because I have prevailed through the worst.

That’s why this is the greatest poem of all…

It’s because I survived.