9/15/2018
Give me the strength
to stand on my own:
up off my knees
bloody and bruised.
Hands no longer in the dirt
dragging my wilted body along.
Give me the courage
to do what I have not done
in so very long.
Replace my fear with faith—
that I can survive
the unfamiliar altitude—
my lungs ill-prepared but
I am not afraid.
Give me the will
to continue walking
when my legs grow weary
and my mind grows doubtful.
One foot in front of the other,
no more—no less—stay steady
in my resolve
and patient in my quest.
Give me the understanding
that my path will be fraught with trials
but I need not worry.
That others are on their own journeys;
to offer empathy and love—rather
than anger and resentment.
But most of all
give me belief...
belief in myself: the belief
that I forge my own fate.
Yes, I forge my own fate.