Standing Firm

When I am down and out

I will immediately come back swinging

Because I am Joseph A. Conciatori

I do not concern myself with what

My peers tell me is right or wrong

I have a God-given right

Not to believe that rumors are true

I stand firm in the face of insults

When I am opressed, I turn to the friends

Who care most about me for who I am

And not for the man I aspire to be

Do I give a damn if people tell me to

F*** off and kill myself?

Absolutely not

In spite of my flaws and weaknesses

I find strength in the one true God -

A refuge for my soul on the shores

Of a turbulent sea that engulfs my life

If one man tells me that I should

Be damned to hell for all eternity

I will, resilient as ever, stand strong

In the face of demeaning oppression

I am not an emotional man

Yet I know how I feel

In the moments of my darkest despair

And I am determined

To succeed in the face of turmoil

In the depths of my dismay

I call on the one true God

He lifts my soul

And encourages me

To seek my true calling

Even in the midst of darkness,

I find the glimmer of hope

That shines like a light

At the end of the Lincoln Tunnel

Even in the midst of dismay

I am one man who holds his ground

Don't mess with me,

Or my God will mess with you in return.