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My heart is heavy with the cares of the world;
my eyes are darkened by the storms of time;
burdens I bear that are not my own.
Life is a contradiction, doubt is the one sure thing;
I was born old, I shall die young– what is the meaning;
my heart to craft, my soul to hone.
I feel the lash of death, while I still have life;
things I see mortal men were not meant to know;
a bulwark I stand against the dread unknown.
Like a river, your life moves swiftly by;
fleeting pleasures are missed, joys unseen;
under the weight of the years you groan.
Steadfast and sure the fortress I build;
to shield the warmth within from all without;
unassailable these walls of stone.
Outside there is only noise and confusion;
come in, close the door, it's so unimportant;
we're all just little husks with breath on loan.
Feel the gentle touch of one who cares;
a shoulder to lean on, a comforting embrace;
lest finding yourself alone you moan.
Base the one who strives at others' expense;
let your soul shine, speak bravely against him;
do not in silence his violence condone.
Through forests dim and gardens bright;
your lilting song is borne on wings of gold;
for your innocence I would atone.
Love is as deep as the oceans, and as strong;
true beauty lies within the soul, and not the skin;
in my heart for you sounds music, of resonant tone.
As the grass one day I shall be forgotten;
yet like the wind I am outside time;
for a season I wield a body of flesh and bone.
Ever I walk beside you, but you see me not;
like the stars above and the earth below;
from the shadows I watch alone.
Joel
October 1998
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