One More for Ben,

Who Danced On Until the End

“I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,
And never settle for the path of least resistance;
Living might mean taking chances,
But they're worth taking;
Loving might be a mistake,
But it's worth making.”

Lee Ann Womack,

I Hope You Dance

It takes great courage

For the underdogs today

In a world gone mad

The greed in our world

Ever continues to grow

At astounding rates

The hatred in our world

Ever continues to grow

At horrifying rates

The coldness in our hearts

Seems to be expanding

And only Self matters now

We once loved our neighbors

Now we ignore their plight

Or we attempt to destroy them

We once respected Religious

Cultural and Lifestyle Diversity

Now we demand Uniformity

Now we want to crush

Anyone or anything

That we perceive to be in our way

So I salute the underdogs

For their brave tenacity

To never crumble

Under oppression

Under constant ridicule

Under threat of death

It would be much easier

To simply cave in

Or to look the other way

It would be much simpler

To become part of the problem

Than to struggle against it

But underdogs never give up

They persist against all odds

Self is always last

Though true compassion

Seems to be out of modern fashion

- They dance on to the very end -

“Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter;
When you come close to selling out,
Reconsider;

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance,
I hope you dance.”

©2006, Ed Kostro