Never Give Up, Never Surrender

It’s not always about doing what we “want” to do

sometimes it’s about doing what we need to do

about pushing ourselves to get out of bed

out of the hole, out of the ‘low’ we are in

“Never Give Up, Never Surrender”

I’ve watched you struggle with the day to day

never giving up, propelling yourself forward

when you barely had the strength to sit up.

I’ve watched you will yourself to stand, knees shaking

forcing your atrophied legs to hold you

—just a few moments longer.

When asked if you would try again,

it wasn’t even a question, you just did it.

What is the measure of a man?

I’ve watched you lose your strength, your balance

your ability to work, all the things

that you thought defined you

to discover that what truly defines you

is that part of you inside that

never gives up, never surrenders.

I’ve watched you come back

from the brink of forever,

to grow stronger every day.

You are so much more than the sum of your parts,

you are the epitome of faith and belief:

belief that God won’t give you more than you can handle;

faith that if He wills it, you will get better.

I may struggle with my own beliefs,

   all but one that is…

I believe in you, who you are,

the example that you set.

I have watched you fall, pick yourself up

brush yourself off, and try again.

You have taught me that if you are willing to try

then nothing can keep you down.

That is all any of us can do,

get up, brush ourselves off

and keep moving forward.

…and never, ever, ever give up.

© Ginny Brannan 2018

Photo from personal collection, 2015

Stirring the Pot...

It’s not about disrespect

the ‘one-knee’ genuflect

that drives the politicians insane.

It’s not about the veterans

who’ve fought in any war

or those who haven't

  —for that matter.

It’s not about the flag

or what it stands for:

in case you’ve forgotten

it stands for all of us—

we are all created "equal,"

and have “certain inalienable rights”

nowhere does it specify these 'colors'

   belong to only the ‘white.’

Stereotypes abound, they’ve been around

for decades. Gang culture permeates society

insults our integrity, so when a celebrity

takes a knee he is being too “gangsta.”

They’ll tell you it’s about race, that

  “He’s dissing the flag…

   he’s dissing the country…

   he’s dissing the veterans…

   Let’s put him in his place.”

   It don’t matter the reason

   because him and his kind

   deserve to be punished;

   we’ll spread the word

   to endorse “open season”

Why can’t they just see this is where it began

‘See no evil,  hear no evil…

  don’t want to know.”

And if we don’t listen

and we turn a blind eye

we’re basically saying we “don’t give a damn”

—condoning the violence no matter the man.

This blindness is spreading

it turns to disease; 

fueling deeper myopic tendencies.

It waits in the wings

like some kind of vulture

to pick the raw scabs

of our struggling culture.

No, it’s not about the flag, nor the vets nor the wars

nor the country we live in and love to the core

it’s about equal treatment under the law

and freedom to express one’s dissatisfaction

when our leaders are guilty of not taking action

for this huge demographic they choose to ignore.

The media blows this thing out of the water

the president perpetuates to sow more discord

No, it’s not about the flag or being unpatriotic

this constant barrage from this would-be warlord;

it is about trolling and controlling the masses

and stirring the derision as it fits his accord

distracting from the bigotry, the social injustice

the prejudice and animus that’s being ignored.

© Ginny Brannan 2018

I grew up in small town VT in the '60's where we watched the race riots on TV. It wasn't until I was 10 or 12 and visiting my cousin in the bigger city, that I personally saw the ignorance and animus that some felt toward others because of skin color or cultural differences. You'd think by now, 50 years later, we'd have grown past such blatant bigotry, but this "take a knee" movement has revealed what apparently has been lying just below the surface all along. I may never understand what it is like to be profiled and discriminated against because of the color of my skin, but I believe that we all deserve "equal treatment under the law,' and that our leaders should be focusing more on understanding the reasons behind the movement rather than stirring the pot with their selective ignorance, personal opinion, and inflammatory commentary.

The Dark Side

Can we judge the life of another

when we don’t know the demons within

the highs and lows and daily struggles

or a need for their darkness end?

To be surrounded, yet feel alone

when nothing is going as planned

when it’s so hard to voice the pain that you have

feeling useless and not worth a damn.

The temptress sings her siren song

awakens the demons within…

I’ve glimpsed into the dark abyss

while tiptoeing on the rim.

Today another left this world

the dark side made its claim

and all the folks he’s never met

are mentioning his name.

A sad and senseless tragedy

there’s no free pass with fame

so difficult to understand,

when no one thing’s to blame.

© Ginny Brannan 2018

When there are so many shades of black and gray

sometimes we can’t tell the clouds from the night.

And there are times when you know that people love you, 

but they just don’t seem to understand.

Sometime it’s only a word or a call;  a note,

a comment that makes all the difference.
“I 'd notice”was my lifeline—two little words,

a simple reminder when I needed it most

that someone was out there and listening to me.

I only danced with the darkness; for so many it is a daily struggle

bigger than anything that most of us will ever understand…

If you feel weighted down, that you are sinking

and have nowhere to turn, talk to someone
if you can’t talk to a friend call 1-800-273-8255.

Hoping that all who struggle with depression and their ‘dark side’ will find peace.