My Life According to a Sestina

Soooo, I had an assignment to write a narrative about myself and I chose to do it through the poetic form of a Sestina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sestina). If you don't know what that is...it's a really complex poem formula that takes lots and lots and lots of effort to make perfect..I still don't think I've mastered it. But this is me trying..enjoy:

Deep in the heart of the Coosa Valley,
a month before the arrival of fall--
instead of a son like my brother'd been praying for, a daughter
my parents brought home to shower with love.
In that sweet, tender moment my life made theirs as still
as puddles in grass after a warm summer rain.

I grew up bright-eyed and innocent, never seeing the rain
as a symbol of pain...not knowing the valley
as a dark, lonely bane. To me the world was still
a lovely home, the earth still a safe place to fall.
All I had ever seen, all I'd ever known was love...
after all, isn't that what anyone wants for their daughter?

But at the end of the day, I'm still my daddy's daughter,
independent and curious, chasing after the rain,
seeking answers and truth, and like any other girl --love.
While high on the mountain, I didn't understand this valley
my parents began warning me of...but when high on the mountain, you've room to fall;
it's inevitable in life and can't be stopped by standing still.

She tried to be strong, she tried to stand still
but the pressures, desires, and temptations of the world tore this daughter
from her haven of comfort; she tried to resist, she tried not to fall.
But she did, face down on what she once thought was a soft earth. Rain
engulfed her fragile body and spirit; it tried to trap her in the valley,
it aimed to persuade her that life was broken and there was no room for love.

But the beautiful thing about life and about love
is that the Creator of the universe saw the girl's brokenness and cared for her still.
He picked her right up, lifted her out of the valley.
He claimed her as his own. This was the King's daughter
and he empathized with her through her suffering. His tears made the rain
and as he embraced her with his strength, she let her guard fall.

God's grace changed that girl into the woman I am now. Cause you see-- when I fall,
it's into the arms of an Almighty God. The Father's unending love
is mine and sets me free so instead of hiding, I dance in the rain.
I hear a voice from Heaven whisper "Peace. Be still
and know that I am God. I am with you my beloved daughter
to the ends of the earth, on the mountain and in the valley."

The shadows still will tiptoe through the valley.
The rain will not withhold itself when it's time to fall.
But forever I take refuge as a daughter of God, for he is agape-- unfailing love.