The battle cry rings out:
"Remember your desperation!"
Leading forth the valiant charge
is Henry Thoreau, our eccentric captain.
The night before the battle,
we were all in camp around
the bonfire when the captain made
a comment; actually he murmured.
I heard him say "The mass of men lead lives
of quiet desperation." And to be honest,
at the time I didn't know what to
make of it - I don't think anyone did.
The hours before battle make people very
reflective on what they have or had, on
what they've done in the past, perhaps regrets,
or they're pondering the future still ahead...
But in the heat of battle, I know now
what our captain meant: that man, or rather
humankind, is fighting, struggling to be free,
to live our lives unbound by fear.
This sounds broad and varied, and could
apply to anything - indeed, it does.
Freedom from opinions, schedules, unnecessary
work and restrictions demanded by life's common modes.
It is a message to live the present moment and
take it all in - the field, the air, the sky...
As the battle rages on, I understand and hope
it's not too late for me; that there's still time...
I do not wish to be counted among those who
lead lives of quiet desperation, to get sucked
into the hectic pace of routine only to find
that life has passed me by, that I have not lived.
Even now, as I struggle and fight,
I note our captain has fallen in battle,
lost in the valiant struggle, but at least
he did not succumb to desperation's dry well.
Although he's gone, all is not lost:
the battle has ended, and my life was not taken.
With his words my hope is resurrected, and so I'll
go on to lead a life quite opposite of quiet desperation.
Honorable mention
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