++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ There will be a postamble for my thoughts. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I read the words of emperors By the light of coward’s breath I sharpened swords in shadowlands But never took a step I waited for the call to come For some great holy sign But readiness is just a lie You earn it as you climb I stood in front of every fear And whispered, “Not today” But silence doesn’t make a man It just delays the fray I am the dragon that I dread The hero bruised and underfed The princess found at journey's end She’s not reclining on some bed Not some porcelain prize to win She’s the man I always should have been Unpolished, shining, rising slow The crown I earn is my own soul I burned down every map I drew When futures turned to fog Built prisons out of past regrets And blamed it on the smog But somewhere in the smoky dark A voice began to rise Not roaring loud, but baleful still A monster in disguise I wore the beast’s own armor Just to feel like I was strong But scales don’t make a warrior And fear’s a hollow song I am the dragon that I fight The hero starving for the light The princess I will reunite But not in tower heights He’s a man who dares to build A life from dust, from break, from will Unmastered, but alive and real And that’s a throne no king can steal I saw the mirror crack at last And found my face in three (in three, in three) The beast, the blade, the battered dream Still begging to be free (finally) So I walked out from the waiting (unsmothered) One trembling step begun (and another, and another) The journey doesn’t make you brave It shows you who you were all along I am the dragon and the flame The hero learning not to shame The princess carving out a name That no one else can claim I’m not the heir to someone’s land But I am learning how to stand Unready, still I craft the crown The kind you earn from burning down I read the words of emperors Fear conquered understep I sharpened wit and hardened will To curb my old regret Rose to the challenge, fought, did I My Journey underway In journeying, I found myself Enough to find my way ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A realization I've come to very recently is that using the Hero's Journey analogy, I am obviously the hero of the story. I need to set out to slay the dragon and save the princess. The hero will never be ready before he begins his journey. Rather, he only becomes prepared by bravely facing the challenges along the path. Upon further reflection, I have discovered that I am also the dragon in this story. I, in my cowardice and sloth, have scared myself from doing much of anything of real value. I've convinced the hero within me that it's much too painful and dangerous to take a journey and pursue my future, that the princess isn't worth it. In fact, I'd been convinced that princesses are capricious and selfish and will abandon even a hero on a whim. I was sure the journey would break me, and I, the dragon, would destroy me, the hero. I am and have been a beast; the dragon suppressing the hero within. Interestingly, and this is the most recent development, I've discovered that I am also the princess. The princess of my story will not be the king's virginal daughter that makes me an heir to his kingdom. No, I, the princess in my hero's journey, am a man who respects himself, lives and strives for a future while not knowing the outcome, building a life worth joining. My princess is the person my hero becomes. A man worth admiring. Someone who inspires love and that kids can look up to. A folk hero; not Prince Charming and not beautiful Count Adhemar. My princess is me: a becoming William Thatcher; unskilled, but working; unmastered, but growing; unpolished, but shining. In my Hero's Journey, I am currently the scared but aspiring hero, who must bravely conquer his cowardice, adventure, and face the mighty dragon. The mighty dragon in my story has been the dark sides of me for the past 16 years, quashing my hopes and suppressing my hero. My princess will be me, a real man A real hero, and something worth being. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ © 2025 The Badfatler All rights reserved.
