To Drown Or Sail Away

Thoughts drifting through my mind Memories that make me blind To what I have in life today They pull me in and I fade away Back to a time that has long past I retreat to the child who's future seemed cast By others actions unable to control The events that damaged an innocent soul I cringe at the memories in anguished pain As i cringed from the dreadful violence in vain Once more in helplessness I begin to drown And I feel my soul on the road to breakdown I struggle to swim out of this well Of recollections of a living hell I make myself think of the good times instead Flush pointless flashbacks out of my head All so long ago so far in the past I climb into my boat and cling to the mast The mast is my strength the boat is today From the sea of history I'm sailing away As it made me who I am of my past I'm accepting Having lived compassionately good future I'm expecting I chose not to stay a victim but an honest winner And I forgive all the wrongs as I too am a sinner But I made my own way and I made my own choices Heard plenty of advice from too many voices So I took the gemstones from amongst it all Made them mine and stood up tall The past may come back at times to bite me I know just to squash it like a pesky little flea Rub salve on the wound and walk away And live in the now here for today Determined to be grateful for the times I've burnt Each bad experience is a new lesson learnt Goodness and wrongness all lead me to be A person who is strong empathetic and free You may hurt my temple but not my belief This simple truth is such sweet relief No need to struggle in that sticky marsh The awful muck that makes my heart harsh Put up the sail of this boat of mine And sail away my soul sublime