Fingertips
I can conquer anything -
Any struggle, any strife,
All I need to do it
is my fingers and my life.
Performing is my passion.
Drawing is my dream.
I do this each and every day,
exhausting as it may seem.
The violin was first,
picked up when I was seven.
I saw a man performing live and said,
"Mom! That is my heaven."
Next I learned what's black and white
with 88 bold keys.
No one had to teach me how.
It just came naturally.
But this was not enough for me,
I wanted to learn more.
Music took the pain away,
all else was such a bore.
When I was ten I tried the flute.
It was not the one for me.
I picked it up and put it down,
but never felt much glee.
After that I turned to art,
drawing and shading all day.
The satisfication that I felt
was greater than words can say.
I'd drawn for several years in fact,
but this is when it grew.
I improved my technique and learned new things -
things I never knew.
I joined orchestra in high school,
then band and color guard followed.
Each year at the season's end
I choked back tears and swallowed.
Friday night lights, bus rides with friends,
days that were fleeting and few -
they said it'd be gone in the blink of an eye.
I never thought it'd be true.
I picked up the french horn because of my friends.
It was harder than they implied.
Despite the struggle, despite the pain.
I continued to try.
Sabres and rifles and flags all around,
color guard entered my life.
I never envisioned myself throwing a flag,
much less a gun and a knife.
I stuck with my art classes all four years,
each year harder than the last.
My technique improved and my happiness rose
as I worked through things from my past.
Life hasn't been easy, some patches are rough,
but I hope it'll end with a smile.
As long as I have my fingers,
I'll stick around for a while.