Sacrifice.
By: Joseph Serio
Tags: Poem, Challenge, Loss, Poetry, Faith

Sacrifice.

How much more must I sacrifice until you are satisfied. What more can I do to survivor all of this pain inside. What haven’t I yet done that you are trying to teach me. Why am I always being tested day in and day out. When’s my turn. When do I get something to jump up and shout out with pride and scream from the roof tops that I’ve finally made it to some sort of pinnacle or checkpoint in life that makes me feel somewhat successful and not completely destroyed.

I’m constantly looking at the man in the mirror and asking why. Asking what I’ve learned from this past mistake and how I can change and when I change I find a newer harder challenge that you’ve placed in my way. I have to chip away at it slowly until I overcome it just to see on the other side a little ways down the road of life you’ve placed another one. Bigger and much tougher again then the last.

Father, school, bullies, Air Force, drinking, heartbreak, college, failure, marriage, death, cheating, fatherhood, anger, and now you’ve done the one thing I never thought possible you’ve finally broken me with tearing the one person I love with all my heart away. The one person that makes me smile every time I see her little face. The one person that I can hold and and hug and do whatever I want with and she just looks at me with love and trust in her eyes. The one person I’m suppose to protect from harm. The one person I’m suppose to be there for every day of her life to make sure she succeeds and learns and grows to become someone better then me. To become the best she can be. To teach her from my mistakes and let her learn from her own and when she makes those mistakes she can walk up to me and ask me for help through her rough times and I give her the best advice for that moment and give her a great big hug and tell her everything will be ok. You decide to take that person from me.

It kinda scares me right now cause if you’re willing to make my life harder and harder every time I over come one of your challenges what are you willing to do to me next? Cause as shitty as I feel right now for what you’ve done I don’t know how I’m going to overcome anything harder then this.

I mean yea, I’m gonna face uphill battles with her. But nothing I haven’t dealt with or nothing I can’t help her through cause I’ve learned along the way. But that’s just repeating the cycle and taking the challenges you made me face to make me stronger and help her become stronger…ooooh Is that why? Have I reached a check point. Am I at the top of the curve? Is this it? Is this the lesson you’ve always wanted me to learn? Are there greener pastures on the other side of this hill you’ve placed in front of me? Cause honestly I need a win right now. And I’m gonna have to fight and sacrifice days or weeks away from her in order to have her in my life forever and not let anyone else including you take her from my arms ever again. And if they try I’m going to confuse to fight like hell and get more protection stronger armor sharper swords and learn the best damn war cry you’ll ever hear to make sure she’s not going anywhere.

I’m tired I’m drained, I’m beaten but I am not defeated. So bring it on, whoever YOU may be cause I’ve come ready for war and I’m not gonna back down for anyone anymore. I am willing to do what I’ve always done to over come any of your challenges. I am going to sacrifice everything.

Bring it on,

-Joseph Serio 11/23/2020