The Man I Want To Be

She asked me if I’ve met the man that I want to be. So I told her:

This is the man I’ve always wanted to be
Doesn’t tie himself down, but divines his own destiny.
He does not shrink from
The beginning of a new road.
He embarks, cuts a path
He’s brave. He is bold.

He swims strong.
Up and through a new nebulus.
Inhaling space,
Exhaling confidence and purpose.

He is a hero and farmer.
He takes his own part in
Working hard, sweating some
To cultivate a green garden.

He comes from a place,
From the dust of the earth.
He’s seen suffering and pain
And he’s built his own worth.
He comforts himself.
Muscles shaking, but sane
And he knows, ‘cause he’s always got his head in the game.

Psychs himself in the mirror.
He knows he cannot falter
When the ones that he loves
Will not come to his altar.

And he builds those around him
And his lamp glows at night.
His diligent works, caring hands
Lifting up those who might
Fall.

His tone is steady
And his voice is loud.
So they can hear him above even the roar of the crowd.
And his message is clear.
And it moves boulders
So he’s carried to the stage upon backs and shoulders.

He is a symbol, an icon
And doesn't turn from those who might
liken
Him to a monster, a sea-beast
That has come to their shore.
So the haters will come
And hurl eggs at his door.

But who he is, is so much more.

So he stands out of the surf,
Dripping.
Knees strong and hands tight,
Gripping
The hand of his friend
He takes bullets and shells
Till the day when he lifts up his head
To hear
Bells.

And there are doves.
And he can gaze freely
At the one that he loves.
Almost falling. Weeping.

But he’s still alive, and he keeps on fighting
Not afraid if he cries
In the storm. To the lightning.
And there are stars in his eyes
Though they keep landing blows
So that on the day that he dies
He knows.

That he did right.
And if there’s a god up above
He can say
that he fought with all his might and his love.

He prayed.
Not for fame or for wealth,
But for those
whose worst enemies
were their own best selves.

So this is the man I always wanted to be
Who doesn't tie himself down, until he’s carved an identity.
Who is always kind in his manners and speech.
And always practices what he’ll preach.

He is the bend in the river.
He is the moon in the sky.
He is the eagle’s call on high.
A bang-up guy.

His breath is the wind.
And his feet shake the ground.
And his hair falls long and dark
And is twice-wound.

His tears are the flood.
While his voice is the fire.
And he rises again
Like a phoenix pyre.

So my voice may be weak
I don’t yet shake the earth
But I have known
Ever since birth.

That this is the man I’ve always wanted to be.
Whose bonds are what make him so free.
And who won’t think twice, and who won’t back down
And if the ship sinks isn’t afraid to go down.
And in his darkest hour, helps another to see.
This is the man I am going to be.