Shane Blick

When kings debate the end of things and warriors speak in steel; When maps are marked with certain doom and every fate feels sealed There, from the edge of assembled might, a small voice rose through the gathering night, breaking the silence that held its sway: “I will take the Ring, though I do not know the way.” It needs no strength nor iron will to boast before the start, reluctant courage makes its home inside an ordinary heart. And in a room of humming light, where truth was bent by...

An Ode to My Father A gentle boy born into an age where violence was king and war was its stage. The ’50s taught men to swallow the storm; mistook kindness for frailty— made suppression the norm. His dad was his hero, but his love tasted tart, for war had left him with shrapnel in his heart. Yet still, you loved him, amidst his verbal assault, for he didn’t know any better; it wasn’t his fault. You promised yourself that you would be different: a father who expresses his love, not cold and...

I chase stillness think holiness means serenity detachment a marble monk in a museum I wear peace like a pastel robe a starch sage with ironed creases stitching serenity into the frayed seams while uncertainty knocks politely at the door I leave it waiting on the porch because I believe a sādhak shouldn’t feel that way But I do I get sad I crave applause I forget to listen I regret decisions I remember too late Sometimes I want to win more than I want to love. And yet here I am not a floating...