Still Rising

Everything changes and all things must pass.
Even Baccarat crystal becomes broken glass.
No matter how lovely, no matter how kind,
The eyes of the eagle someday will go blind. 

But don’t worry, darling, please don’t run away.
As long as my heart beats, I promise to stay.
In the landfill of lying, these words remain true—
My love is still rising for you. 

All of my teachers, both living and dead,
I misunderstood everything that they said.
Trouble and suffering each way that I turned.
I seemed to forget anything that I learned. 

But don’t fret, my darling, don’t fall to the floor.
I’ll make for you all that you need and much more.
They’re all double dealing, but one thing is true—
My love is still rising for you. 

I was lost and forlorn in the badlands of gloom,
Awaiting the blast of the trumpets of doom.
In hunger and misery and mountains of debt,
I stood on the cliff, and I watched the sun set. 

Rest easy, babe, don’t succumb to your fears.
My heart is a horn for the music of spheres.
Before all these hypocrites, I swear it’s true—
My love is still rising for you. 

Then over my shoulder, the wind at my back,
Promising every good thing that I lack,
A thunderous bell cracked the silence of dawn,
And suddenly all of my nightmares were gone. 

Don’t agonize, darling, don’t freeze in the lights.
I’ll lie down beside you the coldest of nights.
The good, bad, and ugly all know this is true—
My love is still rising for you.

We live in a world so divided and weak,
The wise and the good are too frightened to speak.
The capital’s crumbling, it’s led by a crook,
Addiction and crime everywhere that you look. 

But don’t give up, darling, there’s more to the climb.
I’m holding your hand the remains of my time.
Mendacity’s howling, yet one thing is true—
My love is still rising for you. 

Cruelty and greed have infected the land.
Integrity, justice, and peace have been canned.
As we watch for a signal to charge and break through,
All that I know is to hold on to you. 

But don’t cry, my darling, don’t stew in the haze.
I’ll walk with you, talk with you all of my days.
Duplicity rules, but one thing remains true—
My love is still rising for you. 

July 6, 2015; April 25, 2025; June 19-July 8, 2025

Copyright © 2025 by Michael Kim Roos