Life and Death

Just some thinkin' words.

Life and Death

by Ethan Unklesbay

Of life and death two things are sure

And these are death and life.

Around them we decide we are

Of happiness or strife

Of life there is a markéd start

As well as is the markéd finish

Of death we see but entrance that

Is often marked with great panache

Of life and death, are many things

That I am never sure.

Is it in life or death we choose

To live or die the more?

Finding our way back home

He heard Dr. King. I was blessed with the opportunity today to hear from C. Michael Gray, a black professor from Ohio University who participated actively in the Civil Rights movement. Someone who was there in the discussion with Dr. Gray mentioned Rosa Parks and her involvement in the Highlander workshops. These workshops "always ended with a closing discussion called 'Finding Your Way Back Home.'" Participants were asked "what they planned to do once they returned home" (Theoharis).

I was caught up in the idea of "finding your way back home" as I listened to Dr. Gray talk to us about his fears and friends, his hardships and adventures marching in Montgomery, Alabama. I thought about our journey on Earth being a time to find our way back home. And I wrote this poem as he spoke to us.


Finding our way back home
by Ethan Unklesbay


We come to learn.
We come to grow.
We come to change.
We come to become.
We come to enjoy.
We come to lose.

We come to suffer.

We come to be blinded and to truly see.

We come to connect.

We come to believe and laugh and cry.

We come to be moved.

We come to see danger.

We come to put our lives on the line.

We come because we want to.

We come because we have to.

We come to live and die.

We come to listen.

We come for passion

We come to feed.

We come to give a home.

We come to visit.

We come to worry.

We come to interact.

We come to wait.

We come to separate.
We come together.

We come to be fed.

We come to face fears.

We come to get away.

We come to smile.

We come to hurt.

We come to remember.

We come to be afraid.

We come to overcome.

We come for better days.

We come for truth.

We come to be a part of something.

We come to make Mother proud.

We come to trust.

We come to be brave.

We come to make decisions.

We come to watch the times change.

We come to light the torch;
We pass it on to others who will come.

We come to know ourselves.

We come to grow up.

We come to forgive.

We come to get lost.

We come to find our way back home.

Taking My Time

Taking My Time

a song by Ethan Unklesbay

I'm taking my time, to find out who I am

I'm taking my time, to try to understand

Finding pieces of me I don't need, and I'm

Finding ways to be better than ever before

For you.

I'm taking my time, and I'm slowly letting go

I'm taking my time to learn what I should already know

As I learn to forgive, I can give of me

I can trust and believe you more easily

And I need to take this time for me.

Chorus:

By the time you were gone it was much too late

(Much too late for me)

So I looked at all the mistakes that I'd made

(That made you run from me)

And I'm trading out all of my doubts for light

I'm taking my time, to do this right

I'm taking my time, to do this right.

I'm taking my time, and I'm changing who I am.

I'm taking my time to become a better man.

Sweeping out all the darkness inside

Letting go of the times I've been lied to

Until I can make enough room to change.

By the time you were gone it was much too late

So I looked at all the mistakes that I'd made

By the time you were gone it was much too late

(Much too late for me)

So I looked at all the mistakes that I'd made

(That made you run from me)

And I'm trading out all of my doubts for light

I'm taking my time, to do this right

I know it takes time, but I'll do this right.

I'm taking my time, and I'm coming to the Light.

If you're reading this

If you're reading this, don't give up, because I haven't.
If you're reading this, know that sometimes we have to walk alone before we can stand together. It's my turn to do that now.
If you're reading this, remember that things will be okay.
If you're reading this, give me a sign.
If you're still reading this, you know who you are.
If you're reading this, hold on.
If you're reading this, don't give up, because I haven't.
If you're reading this, I won't give up.

Trust: A spoken-word poem

And that's when it hit me.

You have got to get your act together man.

You give and you give, but what does it matter?

If you can't give her what she wants,

if you can't give her what she needs,

then she won't have any reason to stay.

I'll fix things, I say.

I trust you, I say. Again.

—­You've said that before.

Right where it hurts. I never thought I'd be the one hearing that

instead of saying it.

I know, but this time it's different.

—How?

she says. Well, I can't say that's not a valid question.

Can I?

Wait, think...

She's right. She's right. What am I gonna do this time to make it different?

How can I just trust and give her the benefit of the doubt this time?

Ready, set...

I'm gonna love you this time.

I'm gonna believe in you this time.

I'm gonna hold on to every single piece of good this time.

I'm gonna believe. I'm gonna believe you this time.

When you say you love me, this time I'm gonna go home that night and write in my journal:

"She loves me today; she said so, and I know that she would never lie or deceive me.

I'm gonna remember the time when you had a secret

It was more than just a secret. It was a time bomb

that had four short months left tick-tick-ticking away.

You put it in my hands and said, "I'm gonna cut the green wire

and it's gonna save both our lives, but it'll only work

if you hold the bomb."

I'm gonna keep my promises this time,

and I pray that God gives both of us the faith

we need to get through this nightmare together.

I'm gonna jump

and listen, this time I don't have a parachute.

If you say you'll catch me,

I will not be afraid.