THE SHIELD I NEVER NEEDED

I searched for a field to keep the dark away,

A wall against the thoughts that haunted every day.

I called upon the powers I believed I knew,

But nothing I could build could make my heart brand new.

I thought that strength meant keeping others out,

A fortress built against my fear and doubt.

But every wall I raised to keep me free,

Became another prison built by me.

I watched the world divide in fear and hate,

While every man stood guarding his own gate.

We cursed the darkness, blamed the world outside,

And never saw the ego ruling us inside.

I tried to silence every selfish thought,

To win a war my own two hands had fought.

But every time I pushed my darkness down,

It rose again and stole my hard-won crown.

Then came the friends, with troubles of their own,

Ten wounded hearts, each feeling all alone.

No mighty men, no angels dressed in white,

Just stubborn souls who wouldn't quit the fight.

One friend complained, another turned away,

One had no strength to even rise and pray.

And there I stood, demanding they should change,

While my own heart grew bitter, cold, and strange.

I begged the Creator, "Take this pain from me!

Remove this ego, set my spirit free!"

But in the work I slowly came to see,

The heart that needed changing first was me.

Not by destroying what I cannot bear,

But raising every broken cry in prayer.

Not asking that the darkness disappear,

But strength to love the friends when it draws near.

For every fault I see within the Ten,

Becomes a chance to choose my friends again.

And every time my pride demands its throne,

I bow my head and know I'm not alone.

No field of force could ever make us one,

No hidden power, no artificial sun.

The shield I sought was never mine to wield,

But love between the friends became my shield.

And should the world come trembling to our door,

With all the fear and hatred it has worn,

We'll open up our hearts instead of hide,

And make a place for every soul inside.

One man, one heart, no stranger left behind,

No chains upon another person's mind.

Not power over others from above,

But freedom born through mutual care and love.

So let the ego rage and darkness call,

We'll build no lonely fortress, build no wall.

We'll ask the Creator, through the tears we shed,

To raise the love between us up instead.

And when the last illusion falls away,

And ten hearts choose each other every day,

The shield I never needed will be gone—

And in its place, one heart will carry on.