I saw a man from afar, What coincidence it may be That as I contemplate the ideas for this paper An idea suddenly came rushing over me You see, for it was this man Who forced me to stop and think Does this man see his situation as a misfortune? Or a series of fortunes, However unfortunate they may be Where he began was but a journey One of triumphs and fears Now confined to a wheelchair With nobody near So tell me young man, How did this come to be? Was it in a moment of inspiration? Or in an instance of uncertainty? Alas came a tale Of how this man came to be A story so bold on its face, Yet so lonely it seems He started as what we consider to be privileged, Born into a life of wealth and fame The pressures were forever mounting To live up to his family’s name His father was a general Serving nearly 37 years Accomplished in his own right Never once showing fear His mother had passed Some time long ago Fallen to a cancer Attached to her bones His brother was a colonel Both stringent and brave Each family member had their place This man’s life screamed to be saved With no rhyme or reason, He fled from the scene As if to escape His inescapable dreams He once dreamt of a time Where life was simple and plain Void of the pressures Attached to his name No longer would he be forced To adhere to the code A code so poignant and fierce He simply learned to “let go” But is this not the case? For in the hardest of times? We turn to desperate measures In hopes of a sign We bow our heads and pray We speak of what we know We fall victim to our beliefs That there will always be, a tomorrow But who’s to say that we are afforded This presumed guarantee That life goes on forever From forever to eternity So easily we can forget How fortunate we are for this life To live in a world of uncontested freedom But with freedom comes a price Take our dear friend for example He laid his life on the line He watched his closest friends panic He watched as they died Yet this man remained calm, As a symbol of strength Not an ounce of fear in his bones For he left it all to fate And just as fate would have it This man took one step to the left An explosion would surely follow But so soon we still forget We always hear of the heroes Who saved all but a few, But a few still make a difference To those people like me and you We hear of heroic homecomings Surprises and the works Why is it that at that very moment we realize What life should really be worth? We place a certain value on things We get caught up in the storm Of all the things that life has to offer We become concerned with the norms Why is it that we wait, For tragedies so catastrophic to occur? Before we even begin to realize That what we cherish Is neither seen nor can be heard This man has been damaged From his waist down to his toes His bones remain brittle Yet he’s somehow learned to “let go” To him, he is not handicapped Not incapable of most things For I saw him behind a van with two doors swung wide open How could this be? As I observed from afar, I began to bestow What I have learned from my past Much as he has learned to “let go” Now faced with the question, Of how to proceed Do I allow this man the pleasure? Of doing just this one simple thing But who am I to consider What this man really needs? I know nothing about His values or his beliefs For I’m free to walk For I’m free to roam, I know nothing about His brittle little bones Perhaps he is content? With but the slightest bit of hatred for this life Or perhaps he is ill tempered and inebriated Condemned to this ongoing fight Should I approach him and offer a hand, As a gesture of my good faith? Or should I allow him to discern What faith has brought him to this place? As I weigh out the options His life lies in wait To help this man would be a service A service he might not want to take For this is now his life, As unfortunate as it may seem I can’t begin to imagine What a life like that would mean for me Alone with the sorrows Of the whispers so clear What began with a man is now my reflection My reflection in the mirror Poised for the moment, Proud at first glance Of what I’ve achieved And what’s left to chance Accomplished in business At age seventeen Introduced to a life like non other It was the chance I always hoped it would be It was my goal to set an example It was our goal as a team To make a difference in this world To help those in need Much like the man Who appears helpless and weak I struggle to find the answers I fall apart at the seams For no one is near, Not a single soul in sight Confined to a wheelchair Concealed by the night To “let go” would be fitting For there is no telling where this might lead One wrong choice to assist This apparent man in need But as I contemplate these thoughts It becomes clear why I’m here Observing this man from afar Has nearly brought me to tears For it’s what we can learn From these moments in space Where everything pauses Never a moment to waste This life is a gift It’s what we make it to be We hold the power of perception We hold the hope to believe What this man has just taught me Without uttering a single word Is one of life’s greatest treasures In understanding this world As I look to the future, As I learn from my past It’s the ones that I observe That shapes me as a man It began with my father Much like the father of the man 20 years in the Navy Oh how he taught me first-hand Next was my mother Still vivacious with life Her smile is infectious So full and so bright And as for my brother One of those closest to me He stood by my side He’s helped guide me So what can I learn From someone I’ve never met? Still faced with a dilemma A dilemma I’ll surely never forget There remains a choice to be made It is a choice we all have Regardless of the circumstance No matter how bad The choice has been made I’ll drive on from this man Foregoing the choice To offer a hand And just as I look In the mirror to see I see that same man Staring right back at me Acknowledged with a wave As if to say I’ll be fine He’s withstood every test The tests of time I’m grateful for what happened I wouldn’t change what’s inside For I have learned from this one man To never take for granted, this one life
Posted on: Sun, 16 Jun 2013 14:28:51 +0000
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