At the cross roads of choice I stand
Bruised and scarred I am not the same
Looking behind I see who I was not who I am
The bruises remind me
Where I should not go
Not who I should be
The scars run deep
Visible to those who know
But the pain remains asleep
The way is mine to own
I choose; I move; I go
But the result is not known
The past is there to remind us
Of who we were in times gone by
But the past does not define us
Like a ghost you can sense its wrath
Like the wind you hear its lament
But it will not hinder your path
I am what I am in the present moment
Though influenced by the past
I am neither its slave nor its servant
Author notes
"Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 3:13-14
Written June 8th, 2006
In a list
A contest entry
- Short-Term Prewrite Contest!!! Yay!! by The Third Eye.
300 points, ended September 19, 2006, 35 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 10 of 10
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Excellently thought out & said!
This is a write that one needs to not only heed, but read and read and read..It is full of wisdom..and is liberating!
Your title "I am Not My Past"..a wonderful confession, and title for this poem.Line 1 "At the crossroads of choice I stand" What an opener for the poem..Something is coming, anticipated in what the author has penned.Last line " Though influenced by the past...I am neither its' slave or its' servant" What words....and then your footnote wraps it all up into the words of Paul the apostle" Forgetting what is behind, and pressing toward the goal,the prize that God has called me" ....A short work but lots of depth, wisdom and challenge! -
Wonderful
This is truly a wonderful poem. I can relate so much to it and I feel touched by it. I love finding poems that I feel were written for moments in my life almost as much as finding a poem that puts me in new shoes and shows me new light.
There is an amazing flow to the whole poem. The language works beautifully with this poem. Thank you for the inspiring piece. -
Many congratulations on your wonderful win in this contest
Gaylene
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Excellent!
wow...
...
...
lemme take a moment there...
....
*breathes out*
ok... so this one really struck a cord in me! gosh.. you've described it just so beautifully...
often we face that situation. you sit and think, letting your thoughts wander, and then you remember... memories stream in and you reflect on happy, sad, embarassing and bad memories... and the regret stings again.. almost as if you're deliberately opening up the scars again. I have to always remind myself by scolding that "FORGET IT!! It's done and over with! Focus on the present!!"
I used to be a slave, and sometimes a servant of the past... Other times, I actually ended up being a servant and slave of the FUTURE too! I worried so much about what I was gonna do. And especially when I shifted countries, my unstable emotions got way out of control! but now, whenever I do that, I scold myself or even give a slap and block out my thoughts. I do my best to focus on the present and think only of yesterday and tomorrow like one should, to keep a minimum.
well, here, you've really expressed so wonderfully and in a very exact way. it's awesome!
i'm confused about one thing though.. why hasn't anyone applauded this yet????
Thanks for this powerful and thought provoking entry! Good luck!!
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Very intense, everyone struggles with their past, and their scars, life is full of regret and guilt
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I think its true that our past influences who we become but it does now dictate who we are. We are not slaves to the events that shape us becuase like the wee aomeba we can change our shape at our own will. I think this is the idea behind this poem. Awsome write!
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Well done. I agree with the concept and have printed your poem to share with a loved one who needs a reminder of the truth you write.
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I absolutely love this piece of work. i actually have it bookmarked. (you do have a typo though. Scares instead of Scars)
Beautifully done as usual.
Toast -
I can so relate to this.
Great writing. Very well
expressed. Good message
in your words.
Thank you for sharing.
It really is an
uplifting poem. Just
what I needed.
Jeannie D Hunter
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This is a really nice work, great writing!
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