Mother

Am I worth the blood, did I cause the pain, did I cause the curse
Did I live a life worthy of your suffering or the pain of my birth
You deserved so much more, from beginning, to break the chain
Your life was so worthy of the task it was given, despite my stain
I am thankful, however imperfect, however deep my own flaws
With this journey, complete with pain, blessed by love and awe

The Perfect Allure

The beauty of your form and the scent of such an allure
Your being is iconic, must be designed by artistic minds
I long to just be with only you, but my being is impure
How to express my love for one who is so very refined?
Do you hear my prayers to God to be heard or even seen
Do you sense my soul's call or must you need to believe?

A Red Tide

The waters were crimson, as in a blood tide
We jumped from our ships, weapons lifted
And met there by other people ready to fight
We'd no fear, but perhaps we should have
In the near freezing waters, we lost our lives
Our ship then emptied, our intentions ended
Bodies floating, bloating in the tide
We waited but no Valkyries arrived

Hubris allowed the Vikings to strike

The people of the mound city
With paved streets and walls
Resplendent, rich for their era
All wearing garments of finery
The arms they bore never used
A few in suits of great armor
Believing themselves mighty
And still, they were not
They were simply fortunate
Upon the top of a mound fortress
Inherited from a dead people
The day of the demise came
No forewarning or awareness
Of the disaster about to strike

It was upon a new moon, sacred
A circle of people, around a fire
As a voice begins, others follow
The flames keep the group warm
But the sounds could well inspire
Even should life become hollow
With those beliefs, with comfort
How can one take in the warning
In hubris, there's no fear
When the fishing crews told them
That the Viking ships are coming
Elders accused the people of lies
Despite seeing these dragon ships
Even obscured by all of the mist
The forms of ships and dragons
Sound of ships crashing through
With every wave and current
Came a human moment of effort

Saxon shores now waited, alone
Through that fog comes a force
The moment of destiny awaits
As the raiders quietly arrive
By swift action, special stealth
The mound then became a grave
Before leaving mound fortress
Everything valuable was taken
Every gaudy jewel and gold
For trading, for ore and foods
Their children would not starve
To bring home to their people
Honoring the dead with horns
Norsemen set the village alight
In the future nothing is known
About these wealthy people
Who thought their wealth
Would keep them safe
And now, emptied
Only the walls remain

Entropy, Empty

We rose up, from the clay, after
Drowning in a primordial ooze
The genesis experiment failed
Mind reeling, sorrow swallowed
Taking a paradise and ruining it
Asked for our motives and proof
We stare blankly, no empathy
Had we cared, damage remains
We'd a world perfect, refused it
Our species demanded perfection
For our hubris, we created entropy
Order fell into chaos, insurrection
This world was covered in shadow
Waiting in vain for a renewal
But it would die, without restoration
We've nothing to offer, but silence
For we have nothing but guilt
And we deny our shame

We lifted the Raven Banner

The Viking people had no options for a better existence
With only the Baltic sea, majestic fjords, and little land
Forced to reach out, with ships, we explored this world
We would navigate the globe, using stars and intuition
Fighting battles, finding victory, due to our persistence
The world was rich in resources, always in other hands
We reached other shores, with a raven banner unfurled
It was not out of evil we traveled, it was not ambition
With more mouths to feed than farm land or resources
We understood morality, but life isn't the same for all
Gold is meaningless, feeding our children was our call
History has rarely told our story well, but we existed
Remembered as violent, no guide save violence
We didn't simply attack others, yet effective in war
We'd truly legitimate reasons and motives to act
Hunger led our people's travel across the globe
We had to discover new lands, find new homes
Discovery then was a by product of the hunger
But even now if we are looked on with anger
The violence as chosen route was not our own
Nor was it something we even longed for
For every line creating borders on a map
Each were certainly drawn by a conflict
Our people did so, as a means to an end
But our discoveries were lauded well
Iceland, Greenland, Vinland, Markland
Discovery was our greatest legacy

Free!

As a child of rape, I could easily be seen as a stain
But my life has meaning, I was allowed to reclaim
Time, as an adult to embrace differences from you
I'm not forced to accept my beginnings, a life new
My turn to choose my path, unafraid of the wrath
I'll take that new path ahead, full of pain and joy
Without fear, I stared death in the eye, and won
My future offers much, rest of my life is begun
With no more cancer, no more fear
And no tears, only more time
More hours, seconds, even years
And that, with love, is enough

Thank you for your support
Beth Ness, Jonathan Ness
Katya, Sophie, Isabella
Dr Teresa Wrobbel
Erik, Mike, Mike, David & Bryan
All of my best friends
All of my friends
and To my mentors
My life teachers, parents
And God who ordained it all

Forever's Stream

As before your holiness, let me be pure
Upon great altars of gold, I am incense
Let my scent bring you a sweet aroma
You are brighter than any aurora borealis
I know only a sip of the eternal chalice
But I long to taste of the forever stream
Let my sins be washed and made clean
Let this life finally be redeemed