I Shall Not..

I shall not mourn. I shall not weep. I shall not take shelter in fear or darkness.  I shall not retreat. I shall not hide. For to do so would declare my birthright null and void and the lives of the warriors who laid the road I walk upon as having been sacrificed in vain. 

Their voices ring loud and steady within me. Passing along visions of what has come before and imparting wisdom to guide my way through to what shall be. The soles of my spirit find this present road familiar. It glistens with a new glow and reverberates with an unfamiliar vibration, but sure as I am here now, beneath the shine and modern stone is the path my soul guides paved. Carved by shackles and chains. Paved with blood and tears and erected with bones. We have walked this road before.

Through the darkness of night, gail force winds and torrential rain; our souls have persevered. Carrying the weight of others' sins and enduring the wrath of their fears, our spirits have overcome. Shining a light forward for others to follow; our bodies have endured.

I shall not mourn. I shall not weep. I shall not take shelter in fear or darkness.  I shall not retreat. I shall not hide. 

I walk forward with my head unbowed and my resolve held firm. For just as I walk the road my spirit guides paved, so shall my seed walk the road that shines before me. Night will come, Wind will blow, rain will fall. I shall persevere. Hate and fear will ring. I shall overcome. My body shall expire. My spirit will endure.

Because I do not stand alone. I will not stand in silence. I will not stand in fear. My birthright has been paid with the most valuable of resources and my journey to shore guided by an eternal flame. 

I shall not mourn. I shall not weep. I shall not take shelter in fear or darkness.  I shall not retreat. I shall not hide.