Lost my voice at the age of 23 Having not learned how to speak properly But how can I lose my voice When I haven’t even said anything, anything I’m a diplomat, so I put my needs aside Always smiling, to keep ‘em pacified It’s so hard to tell the truth, so I tell a little lie Maybe it makes ‘em happy, but what does it imply? I had my song but was afraid to sing So I hid my voice from everything Drowning in silence I couldn’t see That the dream was still inside of me Lost my voice, lost my sight Lost my way, but I never lost my fight Lost my hope, lost my scheme, Lost myself, but I never lost my dream So I kept my feelings quiet, avoided all the strife Safe back in the bleachers of this game called life It took a lot of guidance to change the outcome But being true to yourself is more important than pleasing everyone I had my song but was afraid to sing So I hid my voice from everything Drowning in silence I couldn’t see That the dream was still inside of me Lost my voice, lost my sight Lost my way, but I never lost my fight Lost my hope, lost my scheme, Lost myself, but I never lost my dream I finally believe in my voice And I can sing my truth, my light without fear Would you let me sing? Can I sing for you? Let me sing, let me sing, let me sing! Found my voice, found my sight Found my way, and I’ll always have my fight Found my hope, no need for scheme, Found myself, and I’ll always have my dream Found my voice at the age of 25 Having the courage to be alive But how can I contain my voice When I still have to say everything, everything?

This body seems to stay the same But all that’s unchanged is the name Think back ten years to the day We’ve all grown in so many ways Height, weight; knowledge, wisdom Friends, family; preference, taste Cherish how they are now, you’ll see Impermanence is the only certainty This world is impermanent Entropy without consent Awareness leaves you content Holding on leads to regret We so easily forget This world is in permanent change Compared to people this city seems changeless But all that stays the same is the address Recall a time a hundred years in the past Some things remain, while others didn’t last Buildings, towers; residents, visitors Stores, services; power, money Cherish how they are now, you’ll see Impermanence is the only certainty Compared to cities this planet seems consistent But someday it won’t be in existence Imagine the earth a millennium ago Humanity’s impact certainly shows Flora, fauna; climate, weather Urban sprawl, overcrowded; pollution, drilling Changes we enact determine when Everything that we know will end credits

Breath in peace Let your mind release Opinions to which it tightly clings Shed those strings, spread your wings Compassion that you store within Is seeking chances to begin reaching out into your life expelling suffering and strife but something keeps holding it back the repetition of your act continue and you’ll overflow you conquer it by letting go allowing it to... Flow, into water, streams and rivers, ebbing with the tide Flow, into terra, leaves and flowers, blooming mountainside Flow, into people, the scattered masses, wherever hearts divide Flow, and let peace inside (Because the cosmos is also within us. We are made of star stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself. ) Universal life force, chi Prana, charka, or chemistry Quantum mechanics says we’re only frequency shape your energy into reality Compassion that I store within Is seeking chances to begin Reaching out into the world Healing every boy and girl But something keeps it stuck in place trepidation of disgrace My doubts persist but even so it starts by simply letting go allowing it to... Flow, into water, streams and rivers, ebbing with the tide Flow, into terra, leaves and flowers, blooming mountainside Flow, into people, the scattered masses, wherever hearts divide Flow, and let peace inside (As Carl Sagan has said we are star stuff, but there's a more poetic and I think more accurate way to say it. It's quite literally true that we are star dust; in the highest exalted way one can use that phrase) If we’re only bits of carbon Infinitesimally small If now is all we’ll ever have Why don’t we love it all, love it all? (And as far as I can tell, if you let them know that its not just that we're in the universe, but in fact, given the chemistry of it all, and the nuclear physics of it all, not only are we in the universe, the universe is in us.)

Can you imagine, a world with no tomorrow today without yesterday but that’s exactly where we are (here and now) Your entire past occurred as an ongoing present Your entire future occurs in the present moment The only step you can take is the one in front of you So return, letting the current current shine through These are the words I promise you Things you did you can’t undo Clinging to dreams that never last Live in the now not in the past The past can hold important lessons and it’s vital to know where we came from (here and now) but the past can trap you in long gone memories let your present action shape a brand new history The only step you can take is the one in front of you So return, letting the current current shine through These are the words I promise you Things you did you can’t undo Clinging to dreams that never last Live in the now not in the past The future can hold untold promise and it’s vital to grow your aspirations but the future can snare you with languid daydreams let your present action shape your destiny The only step you can take is the one in front of you So return, letting the current current shine through Senses of the body ground you in presence While images in the mind pull you away Leaning on past, depending on future, it’s a crutch, live life for today These are the words I promise you Things you did you can’t undo Clinging to dreams that never last Live in the now not in the past