By a compass within myself…
Not by the opinions of a decadent society
With a microscopic vision and mind;
Not by the reckless, value-less standards
Of imitation New-World attitudes…
Not by the rigid rules of a prescribed Faith
That have been obeyed before they were understood;
Not by the rebellious Godlessness
Of unlimited, unethical freedom.
I live by my standards.
Shaped by the Truth I have been taught to believe,
By what I have learnt and understood,
And beyond that, by what I know from within,
By the unexplainable instincts and intuitions,
Tuned to an inner voice that I choose to trust–
Above convention, above logic…
A Higher Being who holds my life secure;
Molded by a faith in Faith, a confidence
That great Confidence works great Miracles.
I trust completely; I love!
I do not answer to the world,
I do not aver that I am right;
I do not claim that I know the way;
I know only that I have chosen,
And I shall not retreat–
I cannot.
Buoyed by the conviction that those I love
Shall bless me, and not renounce me,
Even if the ways I choose are not
The ones they chose for me…
And trust that though my ways are separate,
My ideals are strong; they have made me strong–
And my ultimate destination
Is one they would have chosen
Or better.
Soul Splinters 