I am not old, yet not so young
for I have borne my share of woes…
To find the heart does not tend well
unless from pain it can repose.

I have not found a perfect path
to which the shadows dare not cross…
While onward through the dark I know
that all I’ve suffered is not loss.

I have not dreamed a single dream
without a nightmare in its wake…
Yet found within some knowledge gleaned
if pondered for the soul’s own sake.

I have not swam without the taste
of salty tears from heaven’s skies…
While it’s these cloudy days that serve
to open up my inner eyes.

I have not stood upon a mountain
without first the valley trod…
To find my own faith in myself
that brings me closer to my God.

I have not met my journey’s end
nor found each answer in its place…
Yet it’s the wisdom I have gained
no other knowledge can replace.