Tag: independence

Tilting At Windmills

 

There is an empty place in my soul
Where you once used to live
You have left there long since
As there was no more of me to give

You visit my mind often
Unbeknown to you
You come and go when needed
Until I’m ready to say adieu

I’m trying to comprehend
Where it went so wrong
I know you never understood
Why you’re so headstrong

Independence is worked for
Fierce and won by the brave
Not necessarily to settle a score
And not to enslave

It is achieved so you are not weak
The monsters cannot win
Perhaps that was the problem
To explain, how could I begin

When I found you drowning
Staying afloat under abundant pain
Fending off enemies in your mind
Although always in vain

No one was good enough
To withstand your allegations
Even offering you love
They fell short of your expectations

Love is an understanding 
Not a thing in a box
To be discarded so thoughtlessly
Like a pair of socks

It takes work and communication
On more than one level
Things are not always straight
Sometimes they are bevel

Life is not black and white
There is plenty of grey
To smooth the edges
Of a bruised individual with plenty to say

A different concept for you
Difficult to sustain
Although we did try
Until it became a strain

The enemies in your mind are still there
Acknowledgement makes them stronger
If you would realize they don’t exist
You will be tilting at windmills no longer

Christine Bolton 

Word of the Day Challenge: Abundant

Definition of Tilting at Windmills

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Independence

I must admit, not being a born American, I have always had a problem with July 4th, Independence Day.  I just never quite got the hang of it!  Thanksgiving was much easier.  It was like Christmas only earlier.

However this year it is much more meaningful.  Not because of the food and fireworks, but because of what independence and freedom means. I was not a refugee and I had no language barriers, so for all intents and purposes it should have been an easy transition, right?  Yes, the paperwork and interviews etc. were easy.  But leaving behind family and friends was daunting even for an adventurer like me. Immigration can be quite an isolating experience.

So this year as I witness the cruel and unusual treatment the immigrants are receiving at our borders, I feel ashamed. How could this wonderful country, which opened it arms to me and the people from the other 84 nations that stood next to me at my naturalization ceremony, behave in such a way?  Babies, yes babies, torn away from their mothers and put in cages.  It is truly shocking.  These immigrants are just wanting a better and safe life for their families. They are escaping tyranny and dictators.  A concept hard for the average American to wrap his arms around.

So on this day of independence try and put yourself in someone else’s shoes, for just a moment.  Imagine their plight, their heartache and their longing for independence and be grateful for what we have.

Thank you for listening.

Today’s poem is in response to  Word of the Day Challenge – Independence

Independence

Not American born
I come from overseas
An immigrant you would say
With no communicable disease

I am white and English speaking
What could be better than that
I do not look at it that way
I am no aristocrat

The plight of immigrants today
So poor as a church mouse
Treated like animals
Waiting for the slaughter house

They want what we have
There is no villainy
As did your forefathers
They escape the tyranny

If you can be anything
Be thoughtful and kind
It’s the independence they crave
Lady Justice is blind

Christine Bolton

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