The Secret Stead is the pen name of a UK-based writer and
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hat is fear? but a cold fire;never warming, always freezing up the heart;
its icy tongue licking
into the corners of believing -- you're feet tied
from making sudden leaps of faith;
or the longest evening spread out
against the unseen reaches of a distant sky:
a padlocked horizon of uncertain shadows in the hearth
of half-deserted streets;
that wide expanse, the first entreat
of restless nights;
or a game of hide and seek
into self-defeating retreats
where you're sure you won't make it through
the night; turning the darkness
into jeering voices
pushing you back
into the black;
or the keeper of the child in the cradle;
never able to hold hands with life to walk
with it further than the nearest shadow --
filled with the cries of the unsatisfied
of the wild things inside --
anxious children with nomadic lullabies
who will quickly grow into the you and me;
trying to name unnamed desires
dictating their destiny;
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that refuse to bow down; from words that soften the night
against a hundred indecisions, and revisions;
filling you with moments unrealised
that can change your life
for better or worse,
in darkness or in light;
or a courage that dares
a showdown to disturb the universe;
to let you drive fear's hearse,
rather than meekly
let fear drive you out
in this swiftly-passing parade;
or a courage that knows --
whether we measure our lives
by the dawn of morning or the longest evening --
our greatness is in the balance
of our measuring;
it's a haunting testament
to be brave when you're afraid;
or a courage so humble, it sees no shame
in showing you may stumble,
and to make each fall simply a sound;
to let it down as a touchstone to your journey
of the here and now;
that reminds the child in you
why you never need fear,
except to move to higher ground.
Published 14 January, 2011
