#WakeUp in My Jungle @NWCreativeUnion

Welcome to My Jungle

It's the mama bear whose supposed to protect her cubs
while papa works to feed them
but sustenance is more than feeding the physical
when the soul who has decided to fight the good fight
takes residence within their family.

Some claim we choose our battles, our vessels
but the destiny must be claimed
and so many have grown tired of the fight,
content to float in a sea of demands
placed upon them by those that fear the creator
let alone the ideas that evolve
while gripping pen and marring canvas.

I lost myself for a while
waiting for that sustenance to be provided
filling the void with wild game and summer berries
until I realized that blood bleeds red from the meat
and the berries are as blue veined as the most expensive oil paint.
And with the only tools I was permitted
I began to feed my soul.

Mama and Papa did the best they could
but they never understood
and now I am the protector of the cubs.
My den is not perfect, but music bandages imperfection
My floor may be littered, but fine art distracts
and when one time Saturday nights
meant cheap wine and bar fights
(side effects of the empty soul)
I now remember every one
every crayon
every pencil
every bit of paraffin melted over autumn leaves
every bit of poetry that our pens bleed.

I will continue to nurture my cub
with every bit of soul food that I for so long
denied myself.
Woe to the beast, that tries to stop me,
who questions my motives
who denies I paid my dues.
I no longer need to hide in the tall grass
to take down the demons that haunt me.
My claws are sharp and they are ready.
My jungle...is by invitation only.

For some, the battle to create can be immense.  Over at The New World Creative Union's Wednesday Wake Up, I'm daring you to take on the haters. The folks that just don't get it.  It's not about money, it's not about fame, it is about passion, and doing what you were born to do.  Collectively, perhaps mankind has created a world where art is dying, but together...we can make sure it never happens. Share your own story with us...you've got till Sunday morning.