Meet Me On the Battlefield

By: Jacob McIntire

You see, I’ve been on both ends, the smile and the tear,
But still I stand after all of my years,
Perhaps a little wiser, maybe stronger too,
But I’m still nowhere close to what I’m meant to do.
And although I seem generous and incredibly kind,
Always being mature can make me lose my mind,
My biggest fear is keeping the wrong mindset and this luck,
Feeling trapped, as though here is where I’ll always be stuck.

But after telling others of this burden I carry and the things that I bear,
I’ve found that the people who claim to listen, tend not to care,
So I’ll just keep quiet, perhaps, I’ll just bite my tongue.
But still I long to know what it’s like to feel stupid and young.

I try to use my mind without burying my soul,
And I try keeping it together without keeping too much control.
Because the only thing worse than getting hurt after the fall,
Is when I harden my heart and feel nothing at all.

But I won’t stay quiet; I won’t keep these words inside,
Because people should know that I have no secrets to hide.
I’m proud of who I am, even if I don’t know who exactly I’m meant to be,
And I really don’t give a damn about what you think of my opinions and me,
Because after enduring all my own pain and all of the self-inflicted strife,
I’m the only one who truly understands my own life.

So you can bring on the tribulations and all of the trials,
And I’ll bring my supporters and the strength of my smile.
We’ll meet on the battlefield, and I’ll prove both of us wrong,
Because now I know the weight I’ve carried hasn’t made me weak, but strong.