Four Roads to Freedom // Sample Chapter

Four Roads to Freedom by Ashlee Craft

Four Roads to Freedom

four roads to freedom in the noonday sun I sat on the plank by the fountain waters a plane flew overhead & I felt the sun seeping into my skin into my soul / a dove flew overhead carrying an olive branch united with both hands & under a sky painted blue by the ringing of freedom & the music from all around – standing underneath overhangs / trying to find the road upon which my destiny lies / trying to find out where I’m meant to be

but sometimes getting caught in chains as I walk down the roads trying to find out who I am / chains made from the dreams I hold deep in my heart but sometimes I fear my competency to make them come true / chains made from my tears & confusion & phases I went thru / chains made from each step upon mistaken roads I walked / chains made from each contemplative hour I clocked / chains made from searching for my true home / chains made from thinking that I was alone / chains made from trying to please everyone / chains made from chains made from the lies I told myself / chains made from wondering whether my dreams would come true / chains made from my desperation to find you / but I have broken free from these chains

but how was I to know upon which road destiny lies / there’s so many roads I’ve seen & walked down & so many times I’ve turned around only to find that I was on the right road all along / the only map is my soul & sometimes I end up lost & stranded with no place to go

some roads shine with the reflective sparkles of diamonds & gold yellow bricks covering the ground & veils of lace terraces of silk & boughs of silver / you hear the sound of glasses clinking & parties & the overwhelming music of money jingling in pockets down these roads / but be warned / this is a road of plastic lies & a road of everything that isn’t true / if you walk too long down these roads, your heart & soul will be sucked out of you & you’ll become just another puppet / a snake dressed in money’s expensive costume / you’ll gain the world but lose your soul / you’ll be imbued with disillusionment as to what life really is about / you’ll forget who you are / don’t try to be somebody you’re not

other roads are dark & sad & dingy & dangerous / the trees brush against your shoulders as you walk thru them & you can hardly see in the darkness / you can’t see your own hand in front of your face & there’s tricks & twists & turns ready to pull you in & imprison you for eternity / you hear the sounds of approaching animals, yet are blind to whatever else may be out there / as you wander thru the darkness, its so easy to get lost & it takes the brightest light to be able to see anything / pits of quicksand & poisonous animals on the ground & so many turning paths you could get lost upon if you let yourself remain on that path very long / if you go down such a road, tie a rope to your waist to lead you back home / don’t get lost in the darkness

some roads are blocked & just go around in circles & never lead you anywhere but based on how fast & far you’re walking you think you’re going somewhere / but you’re not / look up & notice the canyon you’ve worn in the dirt walking around the same circle year after year / notice how with each repetitive rotation you just dig yourself deeper & deeper into the sand / nothing ever changes along this road except time & the travelers are afraid of change so they stay in the same place doing the same things but still thinking something will change / but change doesn’t come unless you change / some people make things happen & some people wait for someday / but today is the day for your dreams to come true / don’t close your mind to the possibilities

but there are some roads that are happy & beautiful & wonderful / when you walk on them, it just feels right & somehow you know that this is the right road for you to be on / on this road you’re never alone & never afraid because you see that everything you need is in your soul / flowers & trees sway in the breeze & when you follow these paths, you find your dreams / cool brooks edge the paths & birds sing in rhythm with your footsteps & flowers dance / the sun shines brightly & warmly caresses your face & you sleep safe under the bright cozy light of the moon under the twinkling of stars & the music of crickets & frogs / you’re guided by the music of life singing within your soul / it’s on this road that you discover yourself / it is the road of destiny / don’t hesitate to live the life of your dreams

open your mind & your heart & dare to dream / search within & you’ll find all the answers you need to know / be yourself & believe in your dreams / don’t be afraid to take that leap & learn to fly on your way down / live & laugh & love / know that anything is possible /

believe in yourself

& someday, you’ll find your own road to freedom

Held in Your Embrace

wrapped in your safe embrace & encircled by your love, my hand clasped in your own soft gentle hand / no words are needed between us to understand what is going between us & the magic remains in the air / for many a day before I met you, the magic had faded & turned to dust / but the magic is back, I can feel it everywhere around me / the magic is it’s here to stay

your love will never break my heart, for we know what is right / your love will never break my heart, because you are the part of me I was missing for so long / held in your embrace / captivated by your love

Your Beautiful Face in the Sunshine

your beautiful face in the sunshine / shining & laughing as we run thru that sacred meadow of dreams, beneath the haven in the shade in which our love was made / beneath the towering oak we stand, connected by our hearts & hands

your beautiful profile / lush lips & gentle nose / long eyelashes & sparkling eyes / soft cheekbones & beautiful chin / silhouetted by your golden glow from within / the warmth of the summer sun surrounding us & freeing our souls as we run, hand & hand, thru the blooming meadow grasses & walk gently thru paths of wild flowers / the sun reflecting off your magnificent strands of hair / splendid wonder of your musical laughter, your soft hand held gently in mine / our lips meeting & our hearts soaring into the blue cloudless sky together, where I show you the seven wonders of the world & then bring you back down, safe & sound, back to that majestic meadow

the singing of birds & thick summer air carrying the sweet scent of wildflowers our way / no words needed to speak to each other, for our language is the language of the heart / I love everything about you / mosaic of flowers like Monet’s gardens, a thousand gems, but you, the very finest of them / every day I cannot help but stand in awe & wonder of just how lucky I am to have you / surely I’m the luckiest person in the world as I stand here with you on this fine summer day, soaking up the beauty of life & the fantastic enthusiasm of love

Some Kind of Magic

across the room across the universe in the mystical & some kind of magic hidden in the misty depths of love in the aisles of watershed mistaken earthy & earth real landing page trumping & torque the burning flame torches outlining the sand illuminated / San Francisco summer of love gaining on the fantastical movement feet thumping I watched in theater & dance studio radio wave majesty dynasty of ages & the silver spoon of paper cardboard bossing tables & mouse pad off the chart mathematical nonsense / yearling mystery of worldly causes hidden & removing the gifted diamond from a glass case in the middle of the science museum phantom paper newspaper the roof beach house destiny / jury of thermopolis in the middle of the summer destiny

Beautiful Love

beautiful love…first moment breath taken away like breaths of wind blowing gently down the sandy shore & heading towards the ocean’s edge where the unity of earth & sea experience / love love I need love I need you to hold me / blue star eyes blue jeans I hold you close feel your body against mine I feel free I feel alive / your lips ever so gently touch mine I caress your cheek & love consumes me with vibrant passion…

passion like no other erupting thru the misty night & eroding preconceived notions of life & love & all that I’ve ever known or wished I had / preconceived destinies reunited with the silver cross of freedom / love is freedom

my hands touch skin so soft face so beautiful life so beautiful so beautiful & I can’t help myself but hold you tighter than ever / I’m lighter than air yet perfectly grounded to the earth / I…Feel…Safe

I breathe in your soft scent & the desperation & despair of the day comes crashing down on me / hopeless & forlorn I waded thru the day & didn’t know how I was gonna make it thru I didn’t want to leave the house but what else could I do / like a thick dark sheet draped over the curtains over the sun over my soul & I was lost in an inescapable sea of gloom / in my desperation oh desperation I was utterly lost / I wanted to live happily but I just didn’t know how

suddenly with the dawning of bright light beginning I saw your face & felt your kiss & fell into your charm & the blinds opened up

I breathe in your soft scent & feel your gentle touch & I’m enlightened / & I know everything is gonna be okay

Misconceptions

to think / that all this time I had been over complicating so simplistically beautiful that I couldn’t see thru the haze of confusion / couldn’t see thru the misty veil of fear which separated me from what I was & what I knew I needed to be

dreaming constantly & imagining what love was while walking thru the cool night air & over the brick wall fence & along the beach boardwalks, imagining holding a hand so warm, close to my side & feeling your soft presence / always wondering what it would be like to be in love but only picturing how it should be from movie scenes & love songs but never really knowing if what I thought was true / never really knowing how I would know if love was real or it was an imagined figment & fearing / fearing love, falling in love as uncertainties bombarded me constantly as I strove to find myself amongst the empty valleys of the moor / calling bleakly from the shadows / afraid to step into the light

misconceptions of fear / but dreaming of the light / every day wishing & hoping with all of me that somehow & someway, I’d find you & when I did, I’d know it

every morning waking up & their face fills your mind & that is all that you can see / dreaming together / things that normally made you cry make you smile & nothing can bring you down / every heartbeat is pure happiness, hearts beating in unison / everything you do is somehow related to them & knowing that you are on someone else’s mind every minute of the day / & dreaming of when you will see them

everything seems so profound & beautiful & you just want to capture this feeling & every moment so that you can always look back on it & open it up like a good book & remember / everything seems so profound that it must be remembered & preserved / days that you will never forget / captured on film & in the sheets of your mind & in each hallowed crevice around you find it

then the time comes for you to see them / you float on air & your whole being is elated with wonder / making sure you look your best & unable to concentrate on anything but the wonder of love & your lover’s face, you dream / life becomes a living dream & you don’t need sleep to dream because the living dream of love surrounds you

& you see their face / time stops & your heart pounds & light spills from everything around you & every detail is indescribably important / you walk along the boardwalk or the wall or thru the cool night air, grasping their hand close to you as you remain connected by bonds invisible to the naked eye, but not to the lover’s eyes / you have found the missing part of you & they have found the missing part of themselves / through finding love you, you find yourself

misconceptions which I feared for so long released into the wind stream & blowing off down the road & into the fields / released / opening the door to love & never looking back, running directly the joy & beauty of it all / most of all, the purity & simplicity which I did not understand / until now

Majesty & Mystery on a Boardwalk in the Summer

majesty & mystery hiding beneath the bleachers summer
in the midst of the misted flowers growing
I feel the miracles of love glowing
& the first hints of the majestic light of new life knowing
I saw upon the skyline the blanketed edge
upon the fading materialistic ledge
I knew nothing but the sound of the crashing waves on the sand
I felt the comfort of peace in sunlight’s hand
I do not know what tomorrow will bring
but whatever it does, I’m gonna sing
I’m gonna sing so loud the birds will be silent
I’ll bask in the light of the next day’s light
I’ll forget the solemn progressions of violence
& the hidden sailor’s gentle plight
hearts beating in the dead of the night
a mystery of minute proportions
& the shape shifting ever changing chance
I watched them in their beautiful dance
nymphs of the forests, bringers of fame
the surprise of bright red burning flame
wrapped in a royal cape & nothing is the same
I took my chance & I made the change
I took the time to rearrange
& I the sunlight turning into night
reinvention

 

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