March Gratitude 3/4/20: The One Where Tears for Fears Rule the World, I Take a Level UP Challenge, Write an Into My Own reflection, and Say Thank You to Music.
Music largely remained the inspiration for my writing, with artists like U2, Big Country, the Clash, Peter Gabriel, Simple Minds, and Tears for Fears releasing songs that spoke to that spiritual yearning, anger and confusion inside me. Something just didn’t make sense, the world held hostage by the threat of nuclear war, Catholics and Protestants killing each other, Apartheid, burning crosses, mass starvation… all of these things and more challenged my view of a good and just God. Yet, I held on to my convictions that we had to do good work, because that is what God wanted and why he sent us Jesus. I just had no idea what my version of good work would be. The people around me began to label me as too serious, and though true, I still needed some outlet for the anxiety, the confusion, the anger, the yearning.
I did not want to rule the world, but I couldn’t understand the vision of leaders who had to know what the right answers were; and their version of freedom that seemed too wrapped up in escapist pleasure and greed than the good work for which I yearned. As a result: poetry. And so I am grateful for the music of these bands who validated the voice in my head that began to shout on to the page. And with that, I Level UP:
…With You
Welcome, child, to this life. Fear it.
The bombs, the walls, the hate, the…
Everything that wants to rule your world.
Smile winsome child across the tethered bridge
To the woods awaiting you across this gorge
Behave while everything comes tumbling down.
I need to stop, to breathe, to believe.
I cannot take one step across without faith
That on the other side it will be better
Than what the indecisive, the blind, the gods
Who want to rule the world with greed built.
Storms will come, child, but carry on, let them
Toss the foundation, nothing lasts forever, but
Believe I will find you because I will find you.
So with breathe drawn take the next step across
When on the other side you will find me standing
Ready to take it all on, to build something new.
(C) 2020 Stephen Fuller
Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Welcome to your life
There’s no turning back
Even while we sleep
We will find you
Acting on your best behaviour
Turn your back on mother nature
Everybody wants to rule the world
It’s my own design
It’s my own remorse
Help me to decide
Help me make the most
Of freedom and of pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world
There’s a room where the light won’t find you
Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down
When they do I’ll be right behind you
So glad we’ve almost made it
So sad they had to fade it
Everybody wants to rule the world
I can’t stand this indecision
Married with a lack of vision
Everybody wants to rule the world
Say that you’ll never, never, never, never need it
One headline – why believe it?
Everybody wants to rule the world
All for freedom and for pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world
16 Responses to “March Gratitude 3/4/20: The One Where Tears for Fears Rule the World, I Take a Level UP Challenge, Write an Into My Own reflection, and Say Thank You to Music.”
Very touching. One has to have faith to cross the bridge. Thanks for including my prompt.
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🤓🙏🙏🙏🤓 of course!
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🙏
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We’re always a work in progress and need faith in ourselves to move on. Music has been a major part of my life starting at a very young age and always inspired me. Superb and heartfelt piece, Stephen. Thank you for including my prompt.
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Thank you so much Eugi. Music remains a huge part of my writing. I wrote a whole series of poems based on songs by The National in my prior incarnation here as Sailor Poet. If I can figure out which ones are which… I might be able to pull them together again. Those were some powerful pieces for me.
Thank you as always for the prompt and the encouragement!
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I hope you do! Much of my retired Tuesday Chatter series relates to music, however, some of it a bit wacky and difficult to understand, But it reflects my thoughts so I have been pulling it together and republishing it.
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Very cool, I do need to carve out time where I just explore all of the personal blogs of you and the other baristas. Such wonderful writing and stories to tell…
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beautifully written and very moving.
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Thank you so much. 🤓🙏🙏🙏🤓
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cheers
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👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
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🤓🤓🤓🙏🙏🙏🤓🤓🤓
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[…] Stephen […]
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This is wonderful and so meaningful.
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Thank you so much🤓🤗🤓
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[…] great songs from 1985 and artists who had a strong influence of this young poet got their due. U2, tears for fears, and Simple Minds stood out foremost, but others abound: Big Country, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, the […]
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