The Truth of Who We Are
As above, so below
Hundreds of years, we endured their fears; magistrates, citizens, royalty alike doomed us right from the start. They watched us through the lustrous years; they wouldn’t forgive and forget. Heretics and demons, our very lives they must forbid. Our special teas and willow trees cleared our minds and hearts. We tried to reason, they claimed it treason, and called it all the dark arts.
We tried to hide but ignorance is everywhere. We put aside our foolish pride, but prejudice is everywhere. Through the valley of the shadow, Death plays his regal part. As Death commands, he understands, and over our bodies he wept.
The fire purified souls of hate which was their chosen state. In ignorance they burned us all, terrified of who we are.
[Verse 1]
My journey started long ago,
Both in shape and time.
My age of reason starts to show-
Reason has no rhyme.
[Verse 2]
The road I travel weaves and turns;
I remain unchanged.
(Can) I recover from the burns
As lives are rearranged?
[Chorus]
Let the air around me flow
Climb the mountains wide and far.
As above, so below
Breathe the truth of who we are.
When fire and the water weren’t enough, rocks and planks were used in their stead. Instead, we met in secret; ancient practice soothed our souls, brought us peace and calm. With this communion, our dreams contained such messages to share. The ancestors tried to bring us hope and promise that one day we would thrive, and our discoveries would help the world to create a natural balance and maintain that equilibrium.
They will understand we aren’t evil. We have much to offer when worldly chaos appears. There are those out there who confuse, abuse the messages they spread with intent to harm. They don’t want to understand. They don’t want to know who we are.
[Verse 3]
The time of night that sets me free
When my mind is ’wake.
The spirits come to visit me
My heart starts to ache.
[Verse 4]
They visit me when times are rough
And when times are good.
And when they do, I feel enough
Feelings understood.
[Chorus]
Let the air around me flow
Climb the mountains wide and far.
As above, so below
Breathe the truth of who we are.
From what has been comes our future. We are shaped by patterns of the past. We aren’t static, nor are we still. In a constant state ebb and flow, we watch the waves come forth of future time. We cannot ignore inaction; we urge our spirits act. The truth must be spoken, the silence broken. We won’t hide anymore.
Because our love never dies, it will one day overcome; the hatred dissolved, hope will return, and the world will once again live. Once we leave this blessed earth, our love remains. The cursive memories and ancient songs stay as above and so below, leaving behind the haunted love of who we are.
[Bridge]
The future will be left untold if I decide to close my eyes
The pain within me fresh and bold; the thoughts that I refuse to hide
[Chorus]
Let the air around me flow
Climb those mountains wide and far.
As above, so below
Breathe the truth of who we are…
The haunted love of who we are.
Link to the song sung by the author
About the Creator
Barb Dukeman
I have three books published on Amazon if you want to read more. I have shorter pieces (less than 600 words at https://barbdukeman.substack.com/. Subscribe today if you like what you read here or just say Hi.
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'20/20'
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Comments (4)
I loved your Author notes...thank you for sharing and I am so happy you placed with this. Congrats
Wooohooooo congratulations on your win! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
NOTES: I read the challenge and popped out the verse. Then I pondered the musical aspect...I don't have a keyboard at home. I was a band kid, and I sang with a choir, but I have no means to produce the music itself. How to get music, hmmmm. What's Garage Band? It's an Apple app I usually put in the folder "Useless apps." I opened it, started fiddling around with it, started with a drum line. I found the accompaniments and played with those, trying to find the sound I wanted. I stared at the verses on paper as as I listened to the music, cutting out words, rearranging, making it scan properly, and a melody appeared. I put dots over words to indicate where the melody was, kinda like primitive musical notation from the dark ages. I practiced this song SO MANY TIMES. I sleep for a few days, then WHAM! OMG! That's the melody of "Lorelei" from Styx. Dangnabbit. I reconstruct the melody line, I record it on Youtube. Darn it; gotta keep it under 3 minutes so I speed up the tempo. Yay! Done. Then I re-read the challenge...500 words minimum. I add the backstory to the piece to give the inspiration behind the words and fulfill the challenge. This was most difficult challenge for me yet.
Your writing feels raw and honest, which makes it easy for readers to connect with. The idea that we often have to go through challenges to truly understand ourselves is something that many can relate to. You’ve created a beautiful narrative that encourages self-reflection and growth. Thank you for sharing such an inspiring piece. It left me thinking about my own journey and how we all continue to uncover who we are in new and meaningful ways.