courage

Destined For Greatness

/ Nancy Ann Creed / Leave a comment
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Destined For Greatness

You are a radiant dawn, the breaking light,
The guiding star that shines so ever bright
Seize the day, make it count,
Failure’s not your final moment.
You are the hope that fuels our spirits high,
With boundless strength to reach for the sky.
Success is yours if you believe it true,
There is nothing at all you can’t do.
You own the courage that conquers darkest fears,
The strong inspiration that elevates and dries all the tears.
Never surrender your dreams to doubt’s deep shade,
Not let fear paralyze the progress you have made.
Make no mistake, you are unique and bright.
Let your internal essence shine both day and night
Flourish and grow until you reach your peak.
Blossom and thrive in the honest truths you speak.
Reach for the stars while they are in your hand,
And soar high above across this waiting land
Venture forth and leave an indelible mark,
As your talents are unfurled from the silent dark.
Your capabilities come alive and thrive
Turn every bold desire into reality while your alive
You are the architect of your own destiny
The author of your extraordinary story.

More Works by Nancy Ann Creed

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Ode to the Soldier

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Ode to the Soldier

Across the sea, a jungle green,
A young man fought, a sight unseen.
My father, there, in Vietnam’s hold,
A story etched, a heart of gold.

The weight of war, a heavy pack,
He carried burdens on his back.
The sounds of fire, the cries of pain,
Aching memories, etched like rain.

But courage bloomed where shadows fell,
He faced his fears and fought them well.
For comrades’ sake, for duty’s call,
He stood his ground, he gave his all.

And when he came back home at last,
The war’s grim toll, a shadowed past.
Unspoken battles, burdens deep,
Yet in his eyes, a love to keep.

He built a life, a world anew,
The strength he bore, shone clear and true.
My father, soldier, quiet, strong,
In him, I see where I belong.

This ode to him, a whispered pride,
For all he faced, for all he tried.
A son’s respect, a heart’s embrace,
For the hero’s journey, etched on his face.

Courage in Chaos: Overcoming Anxiety Daily

/ Nancy Ann Creed / Leave a comment
Worn vintage suitcase with travel stickers placed on wooden floor in hallway

The walls are leaning inward, though the level says they’re straight,
And the air feels thick and heavy, like a physical, dull weight.
It’s a static in the marrow, it’s a ringing in the ears,
A list of “what-ifs” blooming into catastrophic fears.
The door feels like a mountain, and the phone a jagged stone,
The mind builds up a prison that it’s crafted all alone.

But the kettle starts its humming, and the clock begins to chime,
The world doesn’t pause its spinning just to give me extra time.
So I breathe a shallow rhythm, count the floorboards near my feet,
And find the tiny pocket where the fear and duty meet.
It isn’t that the shaking stops or shadows go away,
It’s the shaking hands that reach out to begin the work of day.

I carry it like luggage—bulky, frayed, and overfilled,
Across the bridge of “must-do,” where the panic isn’t stilled.
I take a single, trembling step, then find the strength for two,
Doing all the things I need, while the fear is coming through.
For courage isn’t silence where the anxious thoughts are gone,
It’s the shivering soul that tells itself: regardless, carry on.

More Works by Nancy Ann Creed

https://books2read.com/u/3LMnON

The Cost of Keeping Peace

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The lines were drawn in quiet ink,
A map of “yes” and “stay,”
I feared the bridge would surely sink
If I turned the other way.
I held my breath to keep the peace,
A ghost within the room,
Fearing that my own release
Would seal a friendship’s doom.

I thought the cost of being me
Was more than they would pay,
That if I spoke, they’d turn and flee
And leave me in the gray.
But then the weight began to gall,
The “jokes” that left a sting,
The way they made me feel so small
While I gave everything.

So I stood up, a sudden flame,
And watched the masks descend,
I finally spoke my truth, my name,
And waited for the end.
They met my strength with cold disdain,
With anger and with slight,
They saw my joy as their own pain
And walked into the night.

And in the silence left behind,
The truth began to bloom:
The friends I was so scared to find
Were never in that room.
For if a boundary breaks a bond,
The bond was but a thread;
Of people who are truly fond,
There’s nothing left to dread.

If standing up meant losing them,
I lost a heavy chain,
A false and hollow stratagem
That only offered pain.
The ones who leave when you grow tall
Were never yours to keep;
It’s better that the shadows fall
So you can finally leap.

More works by Nancy Ann Creed

MAEVE https://books2read.com/u/m25Ygd
MATTHEW https://books2read.com/u/bzNZYj
JUSTIN https://books2read.com/u/mBKzLZ
MAURELLE https://books2read.com/u/bzN19D
ANNBELLE https://books2read.com/u/bWqEkx
Carillon https://books2read.com/u/38anZV


A Silent Farewell

/ Nancy Ann Creed / Leave a comment
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A Silent Farewell

I hide myself away, retreating from the world’s harsh light,
To hide from those I fear, the shadows that invade the night.
The whispers and the judging eyes, they pierce me to the core,
So I draw the curtains closed, and lock the heavy door.
I hide myself away, within this solitary keep,
A silent farewell for now, while deeper secrets sleep.

The silence of this self-made cell becomes a heavy shroud,
I cried myself to sleep, a soundless weeping in the crowd.
To hide and weep, my body shaking with the strain,
To hide and weep, to wash away the bitter, throbbing pain.
Each tear a wasted moment, falling in the deep,
As promises I couldn’t keep haunt me while I sleep.

A sharp regret now cuts the air: Why did I waste so much time?
Consumed by baseless fear, an unforgivable, self-made crime.
To fear what they say, the empty words that hold no weight,
To let their careless judgments seal my solitary fate.
I should have stood defiant, met their gaze with fiery pride,
But cowardice took hold, and left me here to hide.

Again, the darkness calls me down, the cycle starts anew,
I cried myself to sleep, until the morning filtered through.
To hide and weep, a ritual of sorrow and despair,
To hide and weep, a burden that my heart can barely bear.
This isolation is a monster, feeding on my will,
A self-imposed exile upon this lonely, silent hill.

But then a whisper rises, fragile yet defined,
A voice that speaks of freedom, leaving fear behind.
Open the doors, let sunlight flood the dust and gloom,
And hide no more, escape this cold and empty room.
Open the doors, the hinges squeak with long disuse,
And hide no more, relinquish every weak excuse.
The world awaits beyond the latch, vibrant and so vast,
A future built on courage, leaving shadows in the past.

I cried myself to sleep, a memory that starts to fade,
Wasting so much time, upon a path too long delayed.
Wasting so much time, a treasure carelessly set free,
But now the lock is broken, and the key belongs to me.
The sun on my face is a promise, clear and bold,
A new story beginning, waiting to unfold.

https://books2read.com/u/m25Ygd

Be Courageous Enough to Walk Away

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Sometimes it's better to walk away.
Walk away with your head held high. 

It takes more courage to move on then to fight.
It takes more courage to admit defeat, but
is walking away really a defeat.

Is it to defeat to move on?
Is it a defeat to move away from toxicity?
Is it defeat to want better? To want more?

Put your strength in things that matter, 
not things that tear you down.

Sometimes it is better to walk away.