Ups and Downs

A story of my life.

Raised in a shattered house of unrelenting pain,

Living in constant fear of the criminally insane,

Beaten, battered, and bruised to the very core,

Until his poor innocent soul could take no more.

Surviving each day through unimaginable acts,

Unaware of the black stains forever intact,

Hiding in the corners throughout the night,

Jumping at every pounding noise in fright.

Hoping to block out the searing disgust,

Of a life founded upon a bedrock of mistrust,

Neglected and forgotten, left on his own,

Enduring nightmares few have ever known.

In life exist a series of up and downs,

Never give up, always rise from the ground,

While we never choose where we start,

We can arise from the mud with a pounding heart.

Growing tall and lean despite the pain,

Overcoming all struggles despite the disdain,

Slowly entering the age of a man,

Finally bold enough to make his stand.

Leaping out to take life in his own hands,

Only then does he truly come to understand,

That failure is an opportunity for us to learn,

Never quite grasping the idea until we feel the burn.

Running around with all the wrong friends,

Heading down paths with only one end,

Realizing this life is so much harder,

Becoming more like his own hated father.

In life exist a series of up and downs,

Never give up, always arise from the ground,

While we never chose where we start,

We can decide what lies deep in our heart.

Trying his very best to start anew,

God had plans little did he knew,

Searching to find his place in this world,

He stumbled into a young beautiful girl.

He watched the beauty shyly from afar,

Fell in love for she seemed to heal every scar,

Boldly proclaimed his eternal undying love,

Feverishly prayed nightly to heavens above.

Into one pair their souls quickly grew,

A love so strong nothing could undo.

Anticipation of a distant unexpected separation,

To the almighty God he demanded a salvation.

In life exist a series of ups and downs,

Sometimes it's the winners who arise broken from the ground,

While we never chose where we start,

He found a way to never again be apart.

Then suddenly without thought became man and wife,

They traveled far abroad in a new military life,

Happily ever after they enjoy wonders of the world,

Until God delivered the most precious little baby girl.

How they rejoiced of the blessing delivered to both,

How the precious child brought such joy and hope,

Only for him to pack his gear to head to war,

Last night spent next to the child's cradle on the floor.

Sounds of battle forever haunting dreams at night,

Fortitude to survive only to return to their sight,

Stories forever untold, laid to rest in Afghanistan,

Never to return as the same young man.

In life exists a series of up and downs,

Sometimes the best of us are laid into the ground,

While we never chose where we start,

We chose to have courage in our heart.

Returned from war a broken haunted man,

A second daughter delivered as part of a plan,

The joys of her innocent smiles healed deep marks,

Love of a father and daughter overcomes any distance apart.

Love of a man and wife slips slowly apart,

Ice begins to grow over his callous heart,

He allows her desires and dreams to fade away,

Until she is his no longer one fateful day.

He never forgives the grave mistakes he made,

He cried for hours and days for the price he paid,

Forever away she takes his precious baby girls,

How all else seems dead in his darken world.

In life exist a series of ups and downs,

Never give up, always arise from the ground,

While we never chose from where we start,

He was responsible for all falling apart.

So back to the war the man alone goes,

Returning to a home he seems to know,

Battles call and good men live no more,

Working around the clock to even the score.

Thriving in this harsh world with no fear,

For he had already lost all he held dear,

Rewarded for works and widely recognized,

All while his heart was completely paralyzed.

Only to once again feel the love of his daughters,

A desperate love only felt by a lost father,

Traveling the world to see the wonders,

The three of them enjoying the long summer.

In life exist a series of ups and downs,

Always get back up, arise from the ground,

We never chose from where we start,

We can chose to feel the love in our heart.

In time even the deepest of wounds mend,

Even the coldest of nights come to an end,

With the ending of each night comes a sunrise,

On the other side of every rainbow lies a paradise.

In time he slowly learns to be a new man,

So very far from where he originally began,

Loving father of two of the most precious girls,

Rarer than the whitest most perfect pearls.

Searching throughout the world for his soul mate,

Awaiting God to reveal his already written fate,

Knowing he needs to let someone special in,

To bring his search to a most desired end.

In life exist a series of ups and downs,

Sometimes winners arise broken from the ground,

None of us chose where we all start,

Neither do we chose who steals our heart.

Reviews

[MissLaine]

I am in awe in how powerful this is! It's true in life, no one can choose where we all begin and where we'll end up at. But we take every day with our own choices. Because its our choices who makes us, US.
Well written! :) Thanks for writing!

[Xander West]

Thank you. I was writing about me. Long life. I could written for pages. lol.

[MissLaine]

LOL. Aww. Well its well done. :)