one day, I changed the world

[artolmaeus]

there was a woman, not much to look at,

weathered, tired, and used and surrendered

and she looked at me, but just that I occupied space

and I looked at her face

and I saw deep in her eyes

and I smiled, and words came out of my mouth

words that were words, maybe more for me

but I said them anyways

and she heard them, turned her head

and kept her silence, and I waited

for an echo from the valley, for a smoke signal from the mountain

one day, I changed the world because I spoke

one day, I lost a child, I lost my place, and I went out of my way

one day, I was gripped by the horror of being me

of all that I had done,

one day, my hope left me, and madness moved in

how many times was I beaten, and I gave beatings

when I was met with hate, and I hated more

when I loved and I was turned away, betrayed

and I too betrayed,

to save lives but to take lives as well, honor duty country aside

one day, I became blind in a darkness I could not see through

struggle for a house, to only tear it down

and leave everyone within, without a home

and I knew no home, and I was lost to myself

no ones eyes could I see into, no hope for anything

and I reaped what I sowed, and I got all I deserved

one day, some woman came to me,

and I was told the story of how this life, has a history

written in each of us, spoken between us all

heard sometimes when years let it come in like one photon of light

does not easily just get released from the sun

but words, do get in, sometimes, when nothing else will

when any new thing, is not a thrill, no one can move us

there are words, which hold something, and not any word in particular

actually,  it is never sure what they will be or even if it is but one word

and she furthered to say, that we are all spoken into being

with a breath of life we come into being, and in the silence we leave quietly

but as long as there are words, the necessary history of life

live or die with us, no matter what we are,

with not even a full sentence, or verse, our part in this

requires us to speak it, if but to one person

because two people hear it, them and me

deep inside, the word convolves and fights its way out

and escapes past the corona, because you were there

and she went on and on, and on and on

and she said, I remember what you said,

and I asked her when, she told me about that day,

and I could not recall a damned thing

and she said, it all begins when you let this end

and you do something about it and without promising anyone

and you merely say, I will

and anger and beauty, love and hate and lonliness and togetherness

are all just words, written down, somewhere

but once you say these things, they become something

not because of the words you say,

but because you matter, and those words are needed

as you are part of this story, in pain or in glory

and mostly both, what you do and what you don't

what you will or what you won't

are all silent, until your words are spoke

one day, I changed the world,

and then, later, it changed me,

and nothing is taken, nothing is given

when we lose or win, we don't either way

all this is ours, and we must care

for whatever remains, is all we can share

and whatever you are going to do,

it is necessary to say, I will, right now

and I will again, and I will once more

and then, there is no house, because there is no door

why then, leave it closed in the middle of a field

because whatever the world is, is the world that you've willed

and I looked down, and she left and more years went by

being wet in a desert and in the ocean, quite dry

and the answers come about how to live

because there is no way to know it at all

and there has never been a plan

but the answer to life

is to say, yes, I can

one day, I changed the world