A clearing of the dogma
The tapestry remade
A challenge the system
And new plans to be laid

And so begins the process
The dropping the veil
The battle lines are drawing
So which one will prevail

The clouds on the horizon
Bring rain and darkened skies
A chance for truth and freedom
Or more rhetoric and lies

This burst of inspiration
Does come but once a year
A time for something different
And hopes that change is near

How will you use this moment
What will you choose to change
What aspect of your story
Are you poised to rearrange

In truth it’s just illusion
It’s not about the day
It’s how you view the future
And challenge in your way

Home is where the heart is
It’s more than a cliché
It’s somewhere that I dream of
Each and every day

Somewhere in the distance
Somewhere in my mind
It’s there that I must journey
It’s you that I will find

So wait for me my darling
I’m sure I’ll find a way
I’m coming home to see you
In time for Christmas day

Together there’s direction
Or four as the case may be
Where will each one journey
I guess we’ll wait and see

North is cool and focused
South is warm and bright
East welcomes the morning
And West does chase the night

Possibilities are endless
The journey now does start
The compass that you carry
Is the one within your heart

The stones themselves are simple
Their purpose more complex
The reason we don’t see it
We’ve lost the true context

Part of it is nature
And part of it is mind
A complex interaction
The pattern soon to find

When next you go out searching
Don’t worry where you start
Look beyond your senses
And feel it with your heart

So many directions
And time is not our friend
We have to make real choices
Before we meet our end

How will they remember
The choices that you make?
Who will reap the benefits
Of the steps that you do take?

Answer these two questions
And become a force for change
The world provides the pieces
For you to now arrange

Loss can bring you closer
Or make you turn away
From those who always love you
From birth to dying day

Apart you flail and fumble
Together you stand tall
Sharing brings you closer
For love won’t let you fall

Tragedy can remind you
You never are alone
For God is always with you
All the days you’ve known

A complex interaction
Of wisdom, love and light
And dramas during daytime
And dreams you have at night

It’s how things come together
The pieces fall in line
So even through the drama
Life can turn out fine

There are no easy answers
There are no guarantees
But getting what we ask for
Begins with asking please

It’s all about the journey
The hills that we must climb
The little dips and valleys
That make a life sublime

You can’t enjoy the mountain
Without some scrapes and pain
And you can’t enjoy the sunshine
Without the threat of rain

But races all have endings
Not all have finish lines
The winning comes in knowing
That all of you are fine

Winning the Race by Robert Longley

So much was unspoken
Words would not suffice
Things might be different
If I’d taken your advice

Such is the way of living
The challenges of life
The drama of relations
That make up man and wife

Perhaps it was just timing
Or maybe just my time
It’s all part of the journey
A ladder we must climb