My Mother was born of Apache blood

She was taught to respect the earth and her people

To honor the traditions and remember the past.

Her parents were born into a world that was under attack,

Where their privileges and freedoms were taken

And suffered under American rule.

She received a broken family and had little peace,

With wisdom she chose to overcome rather than succumb.

 

My father was born of patriot origin,

Whose fathers colonized America, and whose fathers fled to the New World

To seek a better life in a new world and to carve a new path.

He lived in the days that this desire was brought to fruition,

He lived a typical childhood, and experienced little of life’s hardships,

Was raised in a strong family and prospered in the American way.

Despite the pink hues, they lived oblivious to the world that surrounded them,

New ideals and cultures were alien and eschewed.

 

I was born between two worlds, and I was born with two separate eyes,

I lived a happy childhood and was raised seeing both sides of my family,

In one eye I seen the importance of traditions and keeping the ceremonies alive,

I seen the onslaught of drugs, and alcoholism cripple a people;

In the other I seen the American dream,

And the nightmare that was caused to fuel a fantasy

 

I was raised a Christian, but I began to see inconsistencies,

I soon thereafter defected to be an atheist,

I courted reason and blotted out belief.

It was until I found two missionaries that I decided to try,

I wanted to disbelieve, but their message ringed.

Instead of smoke and superstition, I was presented with reason

As I considered the points, I felt an ember grow within.

All that was confusing was clear, my disbelief transformed

As the fire grew I began to walk with Faith and Reason.

 

I decided to serve a mission for God

I was sent to Brazil and I was bent to change the world;

Little was I aware that Brazil would change my own world.

I had to leave my comfort zone and adopt a new language and people

It was not easy but I found contentment in service

I had many failings but I continued to give it my all

At the very end I began to see, that if we jump with all our might

God will finally lift us into flight.

As I left Brazil I felt my heart divide,

As I left my people far behind.

 

My eyes have seen many things, and I can see in more perspectives than one,

We must never be blind, never prone to attack,

We must understand one another and become reconciled with our differences,

Because it is with our differences that we become individual.

 

I am committed to help my neighbor, and to be a light for others,

I am human, though just because I fail, I should not give up,

It is by these standards that my heart abides

We all have a duty in life, we must do our best, and God will take care of the rest,

 

I do not forsake my past neither am I to forget the past,

In the past is remembered the glory and evil of men,

We all bear semblance to the legacy that our fathers carved,

However by their experiences we may chose which path to forge.

 

We all have origins however glorious or inglorious they may seem,

However all depends if our stories end victoriously.