Step away from the war-torn edges, of the holes in your once brave heart.

Walk away from the lifeless ledges, till you’re ready for this slippery part.

Just south of that final, last layer; in your truly not-empty chest;
lives another secret chamber; you are ready for the rest!

Youth makes us much too eager. Pride makes us way too bold.
It takes hard-times to fully grasp, the truths you were quietly told.

It’s more than flesh you desire, more than a warmish hand to hold.

Hearts bought and set with gemstones,  bound in rings of high-karat gold,
come wrapped in paper promises; fitted sheets that just won’t fold.

They leave an empty hollow, a hunger for a more honest road.

Can skin explode when hearts implode? Is the fantasy storybook hero                            – just a yellow-bellied, horny toad?

Turn away from lies and false hopes toward a future that’s actually true.                           Let the next path be the right path. Get going, find what’s real for you.

Take this time to try and figure; just whose life you want to hold.

The only things that truly matter, cannot be bartered or sold.

Before you are old, go break the mold.

Happy Independence Day.