Poem – Painted Faces

I have lived with many painted faces.
Some for war and some for beauty.

They sit on a shelf in my mind.
Impressions of other times and requirements.

The fabulousness and the fury that they carry make me smile.
They are a part of the many lines that I have drawn in the sand in this lifetime.

Some to protect and defend.
Some to project and inspire.

These are the faces that I have shown in times of distress.
And when much was being asked of me.

I can see in their faces the courage it took to decide to rally those necessary when all seemed lost.
I can see the doorways that beauty afforded and how that allure could change the course of history.

But what matters the most is to always know the soul that is instructing and allowing those manifestations.

While I am those faces, within … there is so much more.
Those faces reflect the trials and tribulations of other times.

They are the masks that inspired others.
They are the belief that there is always more that can be done.

Complacency has no face because it takes no risks or actions.
I have always preferred to lean into the edges rather than hide my face under the covers.

~Suzanne Wagner~