felt like growing up in a world of softness -
comfy furniture with blankets and warm hearts to cuddle into
were always present to fend off the cold.
Omelettes, school, meat and potatoes, and electronic entertainments came and went
with as much repetitive certainty as the tickings of a clock
and the tickings turned into months and years,
and that was my life.
But then in the middle of my stomach I began to feel a fire well up inside me.
It started as a subtle spark,
and this slow, burning pain permeated my days with dissatisfaction
for that which I knew I should be grateful.
This subtle fire was fed by great books, tantalizing images of ancient, mysterious places,
and the company of those who seek wisdom, virtue, and honour
until finally this subtle spark grew into a great invisible flame burning and blazing within me
and when I could no longer deny the heat I felt in my soul every second of every day
I could no longer deny what it was -
This flame was an instinctual inferno of ambition!
This feeling of my heart pumping and blood burning
in anticipation of all the dreams I am going to fulfill in this life.
I want adventures and struggle so intensely it hurts - can you imagine?
I knew the only way I could extinguish these fires was to dive into a veritable ocean of activity!
And thus, I left Cape Breton - this world of softness, my home,
in search of the desperate battlefields and treacherous mountains
my soul needed to prove it’s courage and might.
But where does one find such things in this present age?
Let me tell you: Out of the combined workload of theatre, school, and part-time jobs
I have made my fearsome opponent, my daring adventure.
I will return to my home, rich in honour, adorned with wisdom,
and I will regale my kinsmen with the story of my saga.
But until then -
Goodbye, Cape Breton, my homeland!
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View more of my poetry here: My Poetry
