I Am a Child

I am a child of the Fall of Man. Like my father before me, and generations untold before him, I have been corrupted by the downward spiral that is war, industry, and societal and environmental masochism.

I stand a broken man, my soles full of holes...thoroughly unprepared to lead a life of nobility, loyalty, courage, and tend to the fires of a warm heart.

Unless I unlearn what I've learned, I, too, will pass on the Pain of Man--a pain of the body, mind, and soul--to my progeny. In the areas of my "genetic memory", where I possess the know how to hide emotion, "stand in line" obediently, and apathetic to the affairs of the world, I must become unlearned through the practice and application of trust, patience, and a dash of compassion.

Only by being aware of the man that I have yet to become, will I ascend from the depths of a fractured past and achieve distance from my forefathers.

Distance from the malfeasances of my fathers before me will grant perspective...the "big picture" will loom small and comprehensible on the horizon. Perspective will add clarity to my actions...there will be no internal struggle or madness. Clarity in action will "lift me higher"...I will experience the rapture and torment of growing "new wings". My ascension will return to me the missing pieces of self lost in the descent...I will be born again of Ashes and forged into a shining, glowing Stone, and will no more suffer scarred or open wounds.

My Rise and Fall are relative in that the seeds of my descent took root during when I was younger, and so I must become like a child to fully begin my ascent. I must also realize that I cannot "save my father", or those who came before...but as I progress ever skyward, I will not tread upon the old men in my life. Instead, I will re-shape their memories into stairs, so my self and others may learn from the example.

All children of the Fall of Man are given the opportunity to rise to such great heights. But many do not perceive the moment, and so continue on a wayward path to salvation. They carry on with their lives as crooked men walking an infinitely crooked mile.

One need not follow the crook, the prophet, or the path to find their way on the Journey of Ascension.

I am a child on the Rise.
Take me higher.

©2008 RA

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Piece inspired by the book Iron John. I am still engrossed in the pages of the book, and so my self and this piece are works in progress. There may or may not be a revision forthcoming.