The Beacon

As I look into the face of my fellow man,

I stare at a mirror image of myself.

I am stricken by the vision of what my soul has become,

That tattered and wicked thing with no control.

My dastard attempts at life have come with many a cost,

My shattered and torn body amongst them.

But as I gaze deeply into those dark eyes,

I am strengthened by the endless fortune and possibilities.

My mind is like a thrashing sea,

With tides rising and crashing as I complete this crucible called life.

Like a ship looking for a lighthouse,

I shall find a beacon, and rest my soul.

____________________

Nader Gamez has a wide background of experience in his upbringing, describing himself as “Basically a Chicago street thug combined with border town Texican and a side of Madison Midwesterner.” He graduated with a BA in International Studies from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, with a minor in drinking.

Since then, he has worked several law enforcement and correctional jobs starting with the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, the Waukesha Police Department, the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and Department of Health Services, and Mendota Mental Health Institute.

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.