The Person I Want to Be

I want to lead by example But would I even follow my own steps? Would I want to walk beside a person Who never knows what might happen next? What if I tripped and everyone fell downhill? Toppling like a line of dominos as my own feet had caught themselves What would happen when I had stared behind my shoulder? Would there be glares and whispers? And if I had reached out to help Would they flinch away from my clumsy grasp? A shadow of darkness now keeps his guard Over my fears that lead my voice to rasp Of course there's evenings of sunshine Burning rays which caress my aching head A gentle breeze of calmness That tears away my unforgiving dread Where the lights are bright above me And my shadow must find another place Those days I can feel beside me And let my worries be gone with no trace. I wish I had more of those days Where my shadow couldn't drag me back Where my voice wasn't used like a soundboard And where my feet weren't balancing on someone else's track Where I could take a step and another Over the thin air of my own thoughts I’d believe in myself and what was happening And not just because it wouldn't tie my laces into knots Because I want to lead by example And not be afraid to be who I know I can I'll live under a sky of fire And never have to wonder which direction my shadow ran