The Road I've Taken

Support, Kirsten Iehl, Oil on panel, 2010

Tap scuff
Tap scuff
Tap scuff
Nothing but the sound of my shoes on the road
One Steady beat
 I speed up

Tap tap scuff
Tap tap scuff
Tap tap scuff
I can still feel it.
It’s still there.
Everything I tried to leave behind.
The time I said no.
And the one after.
Everything that happened
The things that didn’t
All following me
Refusing to let me out of its sights.

Tap tap Scuff
Tap tap scuff
Tap tap scuff
Everyone has a safety net they can run into
Someone to wipe away their tears
Someone to extend a hand when they loose steam
Or help them when they fall
Mine is no longer.
And no others have come forth.
It’s just me and this silly road.

Tap tap scuff
Tap tap scuff
Tap tap scuff
Its at my heels now
Weighing me down
I fall to my knees,
buckling under the pressure
Suffocating with despair
I’m worn out, tired of running from everything
I want to be done.
I don’t’ want to do this anymore.
No matter how far or how fast I run
It will still be there.
I can’t run from my past or myself
There is no escape.

Marching On

I've been bruised,
Broken, and trampled on,
I've fallen down
Thinking I'd never get up
I've run away
From who I am
lost myself
Wherever I could
But I never gave up.
I've prevailed through it all

I have scars,
Nightmares of memories,
But the most amazing friends
Anyone could ask for
And they helped me stand
When I'd lost all hope.
I'm living how I want
Doing what I will
Nothing else matters

I'm standing up
Brushing off my knees
Showing the world
That I am resilient
No one will fight my war
Except for me
I've made it this far
There is nothing
Stopping me now
My ducks are in a row
And we are steadily marching on.