My new path stretches
steadily out before me
and I press forward
to an unknown future on
a pair of unsteady legs.

I searched for the key
to the door of my future
for seeming ages.
Only now do I realize
that I had it all along.

I just want to sleep
but I remain haunted by
a vivid nightmare
which followed me past the dawn,
despite all my defenses.

The sweat on my brow
is the mark of my efforts
to forge a future
for myself, my family,
and all of those whom I love.

“Tell me what to say,”
he pleads into the night sky.
And while the Gods weep,
the darkness only echoes,
requesting words of its own.

I used to believe
in the American dream
until I realized
that it was nothing more than
a silk noose around my neck.