MIRACLE MILE
Here comes the last of it
I'm so close to the line
Can see the flags and the banners
The wonders and the signs
The crowd is all screaming
There's blood in my shoes
But the pain has been worth it
I've had nothing to lose
Just want to walk in
This tickertape parade
See the results
Of sacrifice
And the strides I have made
Revel in accomplishment
Deny all my worries
There's not been one thing
I could've done in a hurry
I've had to climb the ladder
Had to pay all my dues
There wasn't one thing
I could easily choose
Had to roll with the punches
Despite all the sting
Had to find new ways of being
To be this human being
Despite all the suffering
And the claims they had made
I'm still left here standing
(Battered and bruised)
But standing just the same
When fear overtakes you
All you can do is give in
There's no need to fight back
When you're already in
Like when a cop pulls behind you
Though you've done nothing wrong
You don't look in the mirror
You just keep drivin' along
For the fear has no purpose
It's just there to guide you
It steers your direction
But should never decide you
You just let it go
Let it blow and flow through you
Then decisions can come
Which then make and refine you
I found so much growth
When I felt so much worthless
I didn't let it become me
It just pushed me toward purpose
I set out on a journey
My own personal sojourn
Found love, hope and truth
Just my first night in Tucson
Found people from dreams
Some still want to be victims
But either way all my progress
Sure got their attention
Some of them saved me
But I won't bother to mention
See the forty-eight poems
I already wrote for them
I want to give back
All the things I've been given
From this God up on high
Found my reason for living
It's unlocked in these words
My own personal medicine
I'll share with the world
Every chance that I'm given
Gonna help break those mindsets
That tear this world down
Make every suggestion
How to turn it around
I'll be outspoken
And forthright
I've survived every trial
Just have to run this last bit
My last miracle mile