All Life a Concerted Effort
When we listen to each other we realize how many experiences we share and this brings a sense of joy and a relief from suffering.

Scarred guitar Worn out leather Sawed off muscle shirt Faded black lettering It tales the tale of being Imperfectly human The story of a life sung out If we mess up it’s on brand Everyone sings sad songs sometimes Reaching for the silver lining When the rain comes It is a balancing act this life We hold ourselves so carefully So as not to fall off We wait for a sign As we smile in lonely conversation If the pain couldn’t reach us Who would we be And would we even survive It’s the fear that makes us Snatch a hand back from the fire And the burn is what makes The cold lake water Feel so glorious If not one then not the other If it were all too easy And we could never crack Then how would we know the tearful joy Of arms reaching out to us When we are called back to the stage The hurt roars in our ears Prevents us from hearing others singing Our labored refrain Of broken experiences The fragments we believe Will never fit back again And they won’t At least not in the same way But it is in finding new ways New combinations of old elements This is where growth occurs When we hear each other’s voices When we understand all that we share When we harmonize verses Even if sung in different keys Then we will find the way Out of our stark white prison Together we have the strength to weather Even the perfect storm Going through broken experiences Is what connects us One to another And in the aftermath joined in a perfect chain We have the strength to pick up the pieces And find a way to put the world together again





