Voices From the Past: My Story

How happy I was if I could forget

To remember how sad I am

I once read a poem that was six words long

It was two sided

On one side it read

What you see

And on the other side

Is not me

And while it may not seem like it, this poem

These six words

In the context of most lives that I know

Are powerful

Influential

And true

We are more alike, my friends, then we are unalike.

If I was able to add on to this poem

On one side I would write

The real me

And on the other side say

You never see

And then

To be truthful to my writing

I would rip up the paper

I would roll the pieces up into a ball

And scatter them down the road less traveled

Because then I’d know that they would never be found

Because that road has been left vacant

In the place where no trees have been heard to fall

But I don’t want that

I don’t want to end there

I want to stop and look at the world around me

I want to look up at the trees and say

That these woods are lovely, dark, and deep

But I have promises to keep

And miles to go before I sleep because my journey does not end here

And it’s hard

When my words are spoken

But they don’t seem to make a difference

Because no one seems to be listening

But when the act of having the entire world agree to love and peace

Seems as far away as the beautiful Annabel Lee

I want to be able to say

That I know hope never stops

At all

That I’ve heard it in the chilliest land

And on the strangest sea

And it’s that hope that lives in me

Even if that’s not what people see

And when the highwayman comes riding up to my door

And I have a choice

To stay silent and let the gunshots fire

Or to shout

I want to be able to say that I would do the latter

And that I would rage against the dying of that light

And if I were able to add one more page to that six word poem

I would hope that the original author would get as much from my words as I did theirs

And I would say what I hope to be true

Even if I never get proof of it

I would say

The real me

(Flip)

Will be seen

And then

Because it doesn't seem like I can fit everything that represents the real me into just six words

I would add six more

The real me

Will be seen

Through my actions

Because I'm me