Shared Strength

  M arch, M arch went the guards of Ft Worden   Through the foggy fields of grass   Left, Left  the commander shouts towards the sea   As the bugle echoes off the row   Perfection is paramount and practice its key   March, M arch went the guards of Ft Worden   Work be done it's a family affair   as the bite of Christmas fills the night air     But tomorrow will bring the most discouraging news   As the harbor of pearl meets uncertain doom   The bugle sounds different as they kneel in the pew   For sacrifice speaks of remembrance     March, March went the guards of Ft Worden   March, March into a land unknown   As the ship is hurled and tossed on God's great sea   those left home long for the past   of left, left as they march across the foggy field   Today will bring no bugle only fear   for those left behind by the guards of Ft Worden     March, March went the Gua...

The sky echoes the fading day Warning of the dark An instinctual warning sign What is soon to come    Like chickens we retreat again Hurried in our pace As darkness delivers worry Until the dawn breaks Lost is the arrogant edge That daylight doth bring What was once known, now a stranger In darkness new eye   A prayer for deliverance nigh To protect once more Through power greater than thine In darkness unknown   Soon the sun breaks the grip of night With rays effulgent A life looks different in color  Heart felt gratitude   Noon day brings a flood of light Nothing left untouched In it's radiant warmth and succor Dark a memory   The sky echoes the fading day Warning of the dark An instinctual warning sign What is soon to come   Nicholas Campos 2023

Her hair shines in the incandescent light. A big, bright bow illuminating childhood.   The precious innocence of a life yet lived.  Free of the calloused marks of self doubt.   From wounds prior, levied upon ones self.  She colors the clean page, each stroke unique.  Dancing across the sheet in a perfect chaos.  Her lips loosely clenched with eyes open wide.  As she brings life to what she knows inside.   Freckles, eyelashes, twinkling eyes of youth.  Nose crinkled, pink gloves, a posture like mom.  It is clear that which she works to become.  Moments, moments, so precious, so pure.  I want to always remember them perfectly.  Like her blank paper, this is how it must be.   A single perfect stroke of color, lost in the art.  Try to capture as I may, lost it is meant to be.  Lost perfectly in the great artist's masterpiece.  Lost in pale contrast to beauties next stroke.  I caught the moment to...

My Treasure Penultimate I have truly received a precious gift sincere. It be not rare or shiny and is always around. My treasure penultimate Fail and fail again, no strength left. It stands me upright breathing air of hope. My treasure penultimate It whispers try, try, try as a child tries. The past it knows well yet it believes anyway. My treasure penultimate When success is found, it stands aside in grace. I cheer, I did it, I did it,  look what I have done.   As the moment fades, and the cheers subside. I remember time again, what really got me here. My treasure penultimate A grudge not held, a gift not restricted. A desire just to give, example of true grace. My treasure penultimate Teach me, teach me,  to be more like you. To accept the failure, and love like you.  My treasure penultimate   The gift is a journey, pain and joy our guide. The reward is knowing, where peace resides   Nick Campos 2023  

  Many evenings, my daughters ask for a story.  Not from a book or from famous fables, but one that I create for them or something that we craft together.  Last night was no different and as they say this is how the story goes... Once upon a time in a land far away lived two girls.  Their home was modest yet tranquil, built by generations before them.  Each day the girls tended to their garden.  During these times in the garden, they kept themselves distracted by dreaming of seeing the world.  At night they dreamed of the exotic and fabulous locations that they would one day see.  But each day they would toil out of necessity for their very survival.  Over time, as they became more skillful and confident in their craft, they began to find that their worry was less and their joy increased.  Almost without noticing the two girls began finding new and unique ways of caring for their responsibilities.  In time, they grew confident in me...

Cages are for animals, or so I am told To go through life, a winding road Round the valley and over the hill Through the woods and across the ridge Each road a convergence, all the same Mine is unique and it must be true For life is only lived once, or so I am told   You must work hard, or so I am told Roads less traveled by, dark and dreary To clear the fallen and cut the shrub Alone, all alone, yet accomplished The destination known, I worry still It made all the difference, or so I am told    Don't miss out, or so I am told Road well traveled and wide open No trial as we trod, step by step Many are together, yet still feel alone The destination unknown, I worry still It makes no difference, or so I am told   The choice is yours, or so I am told The roads begin to close, left then right That saved for tomorrow, can do no more Planning wasted away, without care How I wish I could, slip back in time How I wish I could, try once more The roads close, back and front Ca...

I have lived a life of problems, each equipped with its own level of urgency and anxiety. Some business, some personal, some out of my control and some that are simply none of my business to solve. The problem with problems is that they do not just live in the moment, problems can be in the past as easily as the future or even the present. They typically bring with them change and change is scary, even when it is valuable change. Unfortunately, we are not automobiles with a sensor to inform us that we have a problem and a manual to show us the remedy. Instead, we are left to an unscripted next move, like playing chess against some sort of invisible grand master. To wait would be best, I could ponder, review and execute. But the urgency weighs heavy, the time to act must surely be now and I execute quickly. Perhaps it is on the mark, but history proves contrary, and each quick mark is followed by a new problem to solve and another pound of urgency to carry. Slowly and without ...

To be with you is pleasure, even though time together can sometimes become routine.  The magic hides well in the mundane and ordinary.  But your love is extraordinary in a way that words cannot describe.  As each of us must face our own insignificance, in a world that's made to forget. I find myself cleaving to the memories, passionate kisses, children's small voices and animals past.  The sadness, failures and illness are the trials that test and strengthen the bond.  Like a ship at sea, we bounce, rock and jolt in the unforgiving waters.  From hands up in excitement to holding on for dear life, we float along together.  Life is spent between low tide and high tide, we make our marks in the sand and cast about worried about the marks of others.  To live simply is best, but the pressure is to be different, unique and one of a kind, by being just like everyone else.  Our love is not fit for the free press, it is rocky, bumpy and filled with ba...

 I can feel the energy building, the inertia is a force all it's own.  I spent years developing it through push and prod.  To ride that wave of energy to a place that would be the envy of the masses.  But to go there means to change fundamentally.  To forgo the things that are real, and accumulate the fake.  A dream that I always endeavored towards for some reason now seems a curse.  I have seen the ending and it now frightens me.  I have seen the legions lost to their own futile quest for glory, vanity and praise.  Work and charge forth as the shackles grow tighter, drink of the cup of praise until character is diminished.  To paint the meek and balanced as lesser than and depict false warranties of happiness and self esteem.  But at night, when the room grows dark and we are all naked versions of ourselves, the voice grows loud and ever reminds, you will never be enough.  So each new day, a new mistake in the quest to satisfy...