Within
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Vast
      land
      before
      us
     
    

    
     
      Thorn
      trees,
      brush,
      grass
     
     
      Out
      of
      nowhere
     
    

    
     
      Trumpets
      sound
     
     
      ‘Thundering
      feet
     
    

    
     
      Flapping
      ears
     
    

    
     
      Eyes
      flashing
     
    

    
     
      The
      magnificent
      animal
      appears
     
     
      Splendor,
      glory
      fills
      the
      air.
     
     
      .
      The
      Real
      King
     
    

    
     
      His
      kingdom
      surrounds
      us.
     
     
      We
      are
      his
      subjects
     
     
      Standing
      in
      awe
     
    

    
     
      Bird
      perched
      on
      his
      back
     
     
      The
      court
      jester
     
    

    
     
      His
      queen
      follows
      behind
     
     
      Little
      prince
      in
      tow.
     
    

    
     
      We
      are
      invisible
      to
      him
     
     
      He
      glides
      past
     
    

    
     
      Trumped
      up
      glory
     
     
      Follows
      him
     
    

    
     
      Magnificent
      King
     
    

    
     
      Returns
      to
      the
      court
     
    
   
   
    
     
      --Victoria
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “A
      new
      beginning”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “‘How
      do
      I
      love
      thee?
      Let
      me
      count
      the
      ways,”’
     
     
      A
      learned
      wiseman
      once
      wrote.
     
     
      But
      the
      question,
      I’m
      sure,
      can
      be
      simply
      dismissed
     
     
      For
      the
      effect
      of
      the
      words
      end
      all
      hope.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “I
      Love
      thee
      more
      than
      words
      can
      say”’
     
     
      “I
      Love
      thee
      more
      than
      hearts
      convey”’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      All
      this
      and
      more,
      I
      could
      say
      to
      you
     
    

    
     
      If
      only
      my
      purpose
      was
      for
      you
      to
      woo.
     
    

    
     
      For
      what
      is
      such
      love,
      when
      the
      heart
      is
      not
      ready
     
     
      To
      talk
      things
      through,
      to
      commit,
      to
      be
      steady.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      We
      loved,
      we
      hated,
      we
      acted
      out
      of
      spite
     
    

    
     
      Yet
      love,
      sweet
      love,
      was
      with
      us
      each
      night.
     
    

    
     
      We
      did
      all
      we
      could,
      we
      tried
      to
      love
      true
     
    

    
     
      We
      cried
      ourselves
      sick
      when
      we
      knew
      it
      was
      through.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “It’s
      my
      fault,
      it’s
      your
      fault’’
      we
      roared
      to
      deaf
      ears
     
     
      Yet
      no
      single
      fault
      was
      the
      source
      of
      our
      tears.
     
    

    
     
      Our
      efforts
      were
      flawed,
      we
      just
      went
      too
      fast
     
    

    
     
      The
      fights,
      the
      greed,
      the
      pain-
      our
      past.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Our
      stars
      may
      yet
      shine,
      again
      in
      their
      spheres
     
    

    
     
      But
      together,
      still
      together,
      will
      we
      blaze
      through
      the
      years.
     
     
      And
      as
      our
      hearts
      grow,
      to
      ourselves
      we
      stay
      true
     
    

    
     
      May
      our
      love
      stand
      the
      test,
      and
      in
      us,
      start
      anew.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      So
      the
      question
      is
      not,
      ‘‘How
      do
      I
      love
      thee?’’
     
     
      For
      actions,
      not
      words,
      are
      undoubtedly
      the
      key.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      --Craig
      Blair
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Pain
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
     
          
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Pain
      constantly
      pursues
      a
      person
      through
      their
     
     
      entire
      existence.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Is
      pain,
      discovering
      for
      the
      first
      time
      the
      stitches
     
     
      you
      received
      as
      a
      small
      child,
      and
      your
      Mother
     
     
      telling
      you
      how
      stupid
      you
      were
      because
      of
      her
     
     
      affection
      for
      you.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Is
      pain,
      the
      hurt
      you
      inflict
      on
      somebody,
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘then
      realizing
      how
      much
      you
      injured
      that
      per-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      son
      emotionally.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Is
      pain,
      watching
      your
      closest
      friend
      unable
      to
     
     
      support
      his
      wife
      and
      child
      because
      ofhard
      times
     
     
      and
      the
      way
      he
      accepts
      life
      stoically.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Is
      pain,
      not
      being
      able
      to
      make
      a
      person
      laugh,
     
     
      or
      find
      some
      word
      of
      encouragement
      because
     
     
      you’re
      selfishly
      having
      a
      bad
      day.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Is
      pain,
      tripping
      into
      a
      door
      because
      you
      find
     
     
      yourself
      staring
      at
      a
      woman.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Is
      pain,
      the
      ability
      to
      perceive
      good
      ina
      person,
     
     
      rather
      than
      the
      bad.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Is
      pain,
      seeing
      your
      father
      suffer
      a
      heart
      attack
     
     
      for
      the
      second
      time.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Is
      pain,
      the
      indifference
      to
      enjoying
      the
      simple
     
     
      pleasures
      in
      life,
      like
      jogging
      early
      in
      the
      morn-
     
     
      ing
      while
      the
      sun
      is
      rising,
      and
      realizing
      how
     
     
      nice
      it
      is
      to
      be
      alive.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Is
      pain,
      seeing
      the
      poverty,
      bigotry,
      class
      divi-
     
     
      sions,
      and
      brutality
      that
      permeate
      society.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Is
      pain,
      being
      unable
      to
      appreciate
      how
      deli-
     
     
      ciously
      a
      woman’s
      hair
      is
      spread
      across
      your
     
     
      chest
      in
      the
      morning,
      and
      watching
      the
      rays
      of
     
     
      sun
      filter
      through
      her
      hair
      magnificently.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Is
      pain,
      realizing
      the
      mistakes
      you’
      ve
      made
      or
     
     
      pangs
      of
      regret
      that
      distract
      your
      thoughts
      every
     
     
      now
      and
      again.
     
    

    
     
      Finally,
      is
      pain
      not
      just
      something
      that
      you
      can
     
     
      never
      escape
      from,
      but
      somehow
      alleviating
      the
     
     
      discomfort
      by
      simply
      making
      a
      person
      smile.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      --G.
      Anderson
     
    
   
   
    
     
      November
      11,
      1993/X-Press/13