My Song

This piece is not of my own composition. This is my friend Christopher Kim work. In it, you will see the experience that he gets whenever he sings. It is a powerful, riveting, and impassioned piece that puts to words, the emotions of what it is like to sing and be free. I will be sure to post more of his work in the future, but for now, enjoy this piece.

When I sing, I feel like the world stops moving and all things around me come to a halt.  The air becomes still as I focus solely on hitting each note and making the perfect intonation.  The wonderful patterns of notes that come together to form songs seem to command the atmosphere.  Anywhere one walks, music expressed by my vocal chords powerfully communicates a language that people of any race, background, or culture can understand.  Yet like communication comes in many languages, music comes in many different styles, each of which evokes unique feelings and emotion. 

Singing has been an inherent part of my life.  From a young age, I have grown up with traditional hymns sung at church or my mother singing the Brooklyn Tabernacle gospel in the kitchen.  All these experiences have come together to form my own style of singing.  While my voice can be as grandiose as the opera singers in their majestic halls of gold, it can also be as soft as a prayerful soul singing a hymn in a tranquil sanctuary.  At times I experiment with vocalization, painting intricately woven musical patterns across the air like the flurry of an exotic bird.  I skillfully maneuver through the notes, being careful to dodge the flat keys and avoid the sharps.  Each note must be a bullseye; the shot must be clean and full.  Although still in development, my vibrato can be as powerful as the waves of the ocean.  I take a breath in preparation for the climax of a song and start to crescendo into the peak of the note.  The continuous pulse of my voice, as defined by vibrato, is so fast and uniform like the wave of a healthy heart beat.   My lungs burst with passion as I my voice undulates to a close.  

If I could describe my voice, I would call it distinguishable, like the echo of a water droplet amidst a large cavern. Many have called me talented and counted me lucky to own such a beautiful voice.  All I know is that when I sing, an important part of me is communicated in a way that casual conversation cannot.  When I sing, I speak with my soul and enter a realm that seems to transcend sensation.  I do not scream like rock stars and I do not speak like rappers.  I cannot match the voice of contemporary pop stars, but one thing remains certain: my voice is my own.  It represents the places I have been and the people I have met.  It reflects the way I have been raised and the uniqueness of my culture.  It illustrates the things I have done, the extracurriculars I participate in.  I sing to forget my current circumstances and voice them at the same time.  I sing to feel joy, sadness, anger, pity, and loss.  I sing to praise the Almighty God for each moment He has blessed me with, whether it be a triumph or a failure.  When I sing, I am no longer a bird caged in by my circumstances. No, I know why the caged bird sings.  He sings to break the iron, to break the metal that binds him.  He sings to shout the walls that have shut him in down to dust.  Then he is free to fly.  I sing to fly high among the clouds where people’s judgement cannot reach me.  They shout and shout, but when I am up here, all I can hear is the wind roaring through my ears as I shoot across the sky.  

SWDD #4: Clonetrooper/Stormtrooper

Before I begin today's post, take a listen to this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd0F484JO7g

What you just heard was (arguably) one of the most famous soundtracks of all time: the Imperial March (albeit with a bit more "Rage" in it). Whenever I hear that bombastic soundtrack, I imagine Darth Vader's personal TIE Advanced x1 fighter entering the colossal Death Star. As Vader's ship gently touches the polished and sleek metallic floors, a "storm" of armored, white, troopers stand at attention with their blasters pressed firmly against their chest plates. These are stormtroopers, the Empire's feared foot soldiers. Then, if I'm feeling in the prequel mood, I visualize the sandy, arenaceous, planet of Genosis covered by white, microscopic, dots. As the fictitious camera of my mind zooms in closer, I see that those white dots are not all white; some of them have streaks of red, blue, yellow, and green plastered on the tips of their dorsal fin-like helmets. These are clonetroopers, spawned from the genetic template of the notorious bounty hunter Jango Fett. These troopers are not standing waiting for a Sith Lord to make his grand entrance; they are out on the battle field fighting along side their Jedi masters.

Republic Clonetrooper as seen in Attack of the Clones and with Phase II armor in Revenge of the Sith
Image credit: Lucasfilms

Regardless of whether the films are prequels or originals, the presence of clone troopers/storm troopers has always been felt throughout the Star Wars Universe. Though the show Star Wars The Clone Wars gave the select clonetroopers distinct personalities (i.e. Captain Rex, ARC Troopers Echo and Fives, Hevy, Cut Lawquane, and Clone Trooper 99), the canonical film saga has generally characterized the clones as mindless, expendable, and inept foot soldiers. In regards to clone troopers, those frosted troops serve as the Republic's response to Battle droids. Despite the fact that the clone troopers were cloned from Jango Fett (who, at the time, was the most deadly and feared bounty hunter in the world), they were treated as superfluous cannon fodder; vulnerable soldiers who would be mowed down by the dozens due to Separatist blaster fire.

Imperial Stormtrooper as seen in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi
Image credit: Lucasfilms

Respectively, the clone troopers were very easily manipulated. As soon as Darth Sideous called for Order 66, the "loyal" clone commanders turned their DC-15 blasters on their Jedi allies (and some commanders had been working with the Jedi for several years) and murdered them. The problem with the clone troopers was that they saw "loyalty" as doing whatever they are told to do by their "master." They did not have a mind of their own and simply followed a drone mentality.

Romans 6:16 states "Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?" (NIV). This verse shows that were we place our allegiance in this world is very important. Who we become servants to is important. It can be easy to submit to the hardships of the world, but ultimately, that leads to death. Yet if we submit ourselves to God's will and be obedient, then we can have life.

Thus, unlike the clone troopers (who became storm troopers) I must offer my body as a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to God. I must not be a drone in the world and must not simply go through the motions. I ought to be an active worker in God's kingdom.

The First Order Stormtrooper as seen in the upcoming The Force Awakens
Image credit: Lucasfilms

Mortal Instruments v Divine Weapons

It is finished! This poem raps up the unofficial Satirical Trilogy that began with Fp= Force of Pain and Mellifluous Maledictions. I actually wrote this a few months ago after Louder than a Bomb season ended, but I needed to make some finishing touches. I spent the most time on this piece and I may consider using this for competitions in the future. After this poem, my next works will take a different direction. Enjoy!

America…your 50 states are in a state of mass hysteria

There’s a virus spreading like malaria,

Look around in your area, and you’ll see nothing scarier:

Death is being brought from Desert Eagles and revived Jim Crows,

Stray shots silence souls and bury ‘em down under,

Bullets bury into Kevlar-free skin, as bangs! ring like thunder,

But this is just the beginning of the storm…

Smoke swirls out of confused silencers,

Silencing sorrowful screams and shattering serene scenes

Cold barrels are serving as voice pieces for an oppressed people

Their trigger fingers smash skulls, and clip the wings of the caged bird

The worth of words wastes away, while Langston’s dreams get deferred

Shaky hands and desperate minds serve as judge, jury, and executioner

As ballistic bullets bruise and batter bodies, sowing bullets into the bedding of graves

But these problems are more than skin-deep,

Now we have kids on the streets picking up pistols for cheap,

And teenagers are buying AKs for under 47 dollas

Shooting up places leaving more people at the altars

Police fire metal caps at hoods and snapbacks

Necks snap back when ropes pierce necks like thumbtacks

And when blood paints pictures of the streets, we call that abstract

And post it on our Instagram and forget about it till Winter,

Make a brief mention of Facebook and tell a few folks Twitter

We try to heal wounds with 2^nd amendments,

Yet our weapons are increasing like the size of our phones,

Turning people to drones, becoming more prone, to violence

Yeah, looks like these bellicose brawls are innate to America’s core,

You see, the Civil War was raging when Abe gave his four seven score,

Natives were killed when Columbus came from another shore

Yeah US has always had a belli for war

But has refused to fight the good fight here,

We protect life abroad, yet neglect it at home, going to international war zones

Spoiled, we search for oil, gasoline pumping life into our weapons

But we got problems at home, America

While your politics worry about your parties and priorities

Male sororities still utter racial slurs,

Law Enforcement authorities beat on minorities,

As pockets of white spit shoot on black ground,

Students from Cabrini and Englewood drown,

Amidst school topics they haven’t been taught,

They can’t break old ground, even though they have the knowledge

Told by society that they are nothing more than garbage,

America, we have students struggling to pay for college!

Their scholarships are sinking in these dangerous C’s plus,

Under resourced students get nothing less than D’s

They can’t cross the middle passage, cuz the schools pass average gives passage to life ending in a casket, leaving them burnt out, funerals in ashes

America, please break from your violent routine, and spare change!

But your dollars won’t make sense of this problem,

No our salvation lies in the one who was born in the manger’s shed,

The cross was his deathbed, where his love ran red,

It was the metal in the hand of the blood of the lamb,

That gives the promise of a new land,

So instead, of trying to fight fire with fire,

I am going to trust in Jesus Christ the Messiah!

His arrival is my survival,

He is not riding a war horse, just a plain old donkey

But with his 5 loaves and 2 fish he’ll bring an end to this anarchy,

Cuz right now, the flames of Mount Doom are heating up with 451 degrees

Trying to burn away the pages of scripture with false pictures of success,

And even though your atomic bombs leave valleys of dry bones,

Leaving Hiroshima and Nagasaki to groan

It’s God’s breath that puts life and flesh on those bones

His word that can get bread from a stone,

So I’ll beat back the world’s flaming arrows,

With the word of God that pierces flesh, blood, and marrow

And walk the road less traveled and take the narrow path,

Receiving scorn from the world is better than God’s wrath

And through the flames I will be refined like Isuldir’s blade,

As iron sharpens iron, I’ll emerge stronger through this fire

So America, look no further to elaborate schemes or battle plans,

Investing in more tech, will bring more screams and will destroy more land,

There is no war on poverty or on terror, just a war against our sinful nature,

So let’s look to God’s word, and call him Lord and Savior,

While planting his gospel by ourselves, like streams of living water,

And once the stone has been rolled away, founding fathers you will have found the father 

SWDD #3: Mace Windu

Once again, I have to apologize to the lack of posting. Due to the gap between this SWDD, and the one featuring Count Dooku, I have decided make SWDD a once-a-week series that will go on for seven weeks. I will fill in the gaps in between with other posts, but you can expect one new SWDD every Friday (keeping fingers crossed that I will be able to keep that up...)

With his bald head, signature violet blade, and unique mastery of the Vaapad lightsaber form (Form VII), Mace Windu establishes himself not only as a gifted swordsman, but as a staunch protector and defender of the Jedi code. Though his Padawan and knight years are shrouded in mystery, he is widely regarded as a "legendary master" both for his "aggressive fighting style" and "weighty words." Throughout the prequel trilogy films and the Star Wars The Clone Wars TV series, Mace Windu vowed to wipe out all evil in the galaxy, with notable accomplishments being spearheading the Jedi assault on Geonosis, defeating bounty hunter Jango Fett, stopping Boba Fett, leading an attack on Ryloth, handicapping General Greivous, and capturing the Zillo Beast. Whether through diplomatic methods or the channels of the Force, Windu fully committed himself to the Jedi cause, and despite temptation of turning to the dark side, he remained rooted in his beliefs. 

Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu
Image Credit: Lucasfilms

Ephesians 6:10-12 states "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (NIV) For all of the thwarted Separatist invasions, foiled heists, saved planets, and destroyed battle droids, Mace Windu never forgot what the true battle was: the light side vs the dark side, or rather the inward "spiritual" struggle. As the Jedi (who were initially known as peacekeepers and diplomats) began to take a more bellicose war after the Battle of Geonosis, Mace always insured that the Jedi would not compromise their beliefs or morals for the sake of winning a war. He knew that the true struggle was not necessarily winning the Clone Wars, but rather not to give in to the dark side. Windu remained strong and firm in the teachings of the Jedi. He knew that as long as he obeyed those rules and lived by those teachings, the light side would always see victory. Though he met a grisly death, his devotion bared good fruit, with Luke Skywalker achieving peace across the galaxy and eliminating the Sith once and for all (well....we'll have to see Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens to see if that is true...)


As a junior in high school (about to become a senior!), I too need to remember where the true battle lies. Temptation and sin surrounds me at every corner, and I must put on the full armor of God (the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet of readiness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and lightsaber of the Spirit sword of the Spirit) and take stand against the spiritual battle that lies within. Through God's word, I can stand up to temptation and sin, and be strong in his name. As Exodus 14:14 says, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." (NIV) In that truth, I need only to rely on Jesus for my source of strength. 

SWDD #2: Count Dooku

Today's SWDD character is Darth Tyranus/Count Dooku. Born to a noble family on the planet Serenno and trained by Master Yoda, Dooku showed promise and renowned skill as a Jedi Knight and was eventually labeled as one of the best swordsman in the galaxy. However, Jedi scandals, the "foolishness" of the Jedi council, and a failed Jedi mission (the Battle of Galidraan) whittled at his faith in the Jedi Order and eventually he broke away from it and gave in to the Dark Side. After doing so, he became a newly-christened Darth Tyranus, and served as an apprentice to the Emperor/Darth Sidious. Throughout the prequel films (as well as the Star Wars The Clone Wars TV series) Dooku frequently ridicules the Jedi for being too weak and naive, claiming that their unwillingness to embrace the Dark Side of the force results in their downfall. Yoda frequently claims that Dooku was a bright Padawan, yet he simply became too infatuated with the Dark Side's teachings.

Christopher Lee as Count Dooku
Image Credit: Lucasfilms

Romans 12:21 says "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (NIV). For Dooku, his lustful heart was drawn to the power that he could get from the dark side. Similar to Judas Iscariot, Dooku lost faith in the Jedi Order after it proved to be a disappointment to his expectations. Rather than becoming immersed in good, he slipped and let his doubt, fear, and anger take over him. For me personally, it is easy to be overcome by the sinful standards of today's culture. There lies a great temptation for me to not spend time in God's word. But if I want to overcome evil, I must do so with good. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that "Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that." In the same way, God's word can help me overcome evil with good, rather than being overcome by evil. 

SWDD #1: Wicket

Sorry I have not been able to post as much as of late. Between APs and ACT, there has not been one free moment. I meant to post this on May 4th, in honor of National Star Wars Day, but the medley of AP tests, homework, and lack of sleep resulted in this delay.

This post kicks off a 7-day series called Star Wars Daily Devotion (abbreviated to SWDD) where I will take Star Wars characters and find a Bible verse that can be applied to their actions throughout the course of the films they appear in. I first started this during my time at Patrick Henry College (I would write these for my counselor, Stephen Pierce, who was an avid fan of Star Wars). I will be pulling characters from both the original and prequel trilogies. Today's character is Wicked Wystri Warrick (more commonly known as Wicket), an Ewok who helped Luke Skywalker and his comrades during the Battle of Endor.

Warwick Davis as Wicket
Image credit: Lucasfilms

Compared to the towering Wampa, bestial rancor, agile Nexu, and gargantuan Sarlacc, Wicket's physical size pales in comparison to his fellow creatures. However, he makes up for his lack of physical attributes with his courage, loyalty, and brains. Wicket did not let his physical size get in the way of helping his comrades or friends. Rather give up due to the lack of attributes he possessed, he instead used the skills that he did have to the best of his ability.  His age and size did not stop him in the pursuit of his goal. 

1 Timothy 4:12 states "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity" (NIV). This sums up Wicket's actions perfectly. He set an example for others to follow, and did not let anyone look down on him. In the same way, as a Christian, I will not let my age get in the way of doing God's work. God can use me even now. 

The Geat King's Return

I wrote this poem after reading Beowulf and tried to structure the poem in a subjective way; I do not portray Beowulf as innately good, nor Grendel as innately bad. I remember this one being particularly hard to write, but similar to Scar's Soliloquy, it was a fun challenge to scribe this one.

I, the great Scop, have yet another adage to share

Come gather around to hear the truth, if you dare

For the unfinished tale and later analysis

Of the heroic Beowulf, and his noble “antics”

Who tore off the limb of the devilish Grendel

And who restored to glory Hrothgar’s beer-temple

Though armed with blade and shield alike,

His bravery and brains were his true might

He deflected the blasphemy-bullets from the “mighty” Unferth

It was not in his noble deeds where he found his worth

Instead he measured his success by the weight of his gold

Who, till the end, never lost his soul

Ah, but now the gears in your brain churning

Your flesh-mirrors are showing signs of worrying

This same one who killed trolls, dragons, and serpents from the sea,

Was this same protagonist, the greatest of the Geats?

He was the one that millions call hero?

This haughty, boastful, tyrannical-like Emperor Nero?

The same superfluous superman swooped down to save the day

Always had another question in mind: “How much will I be paid?”

Yes my kinsmen, tis the same man

The one born of Hygelac’s clan

The struggle of yours is also mine,

Was this man truly divine?

Or was he, only the right person at the right time?

A remorseful soul, seeking redemption for past crimes?

A brainless beast who needed to be pushed in the right direction?

Ultimately, are his attributes worthy of resurrection?

For in a world that pushes for the incognizant and personal

And is always surly and unmerciful,

Beowulf showed sacrifice and courage

His life was one filled with meaning and purpose

Although the adulation he acquired astounded and humbled him

He forever praised God, the deity who helped him win

So yes I too struggle with this character of Beowulf

For now, more than ever, it seems as though we need him

The world needs those who are willing to stand up for they believe in

Those who are proud of their accomplishments

Those who are willing to sacrifice and pay the price

Those who will give it all to do what is right

Yes, I join with the mourners at Beowulf’s funeral

And ask the heavens if they would be so kind,

To return the great king and send him down again

So that the broken values can be restored

And this spit-valve of mine may finally stop,

Boasting of the stories of old

And instead tell stories of the bold

That with thunderous trepidation the king can return

For we of the 21^st century have much to learn

But I also acknowledge that in the darker parts of the Earth

Another sinister chant may have been birthed

This one sung by the descendants of Cain

As they mourn Grendel and his mother, Beowulf’s bane

They profoundly preach and praise them both

Their lives of sacrifice are inspiring; all should take note

For they stood up to the horror-chants of man

They destroyed a mead-hall, and took their own stance

So in the end, there may be no heroes and villains

Simply those who act according to their will

For whether one’s life ends by a fire-giver’s talon

Or through painful decomposition

Beowulf taught to overcome temptation, sacrifice, and restore

And ultimately, to devote your life to something worth fighting for

But as Beowulf learned from his friends and foes,

Let us look to Gardener’s Grendel and see how the story unfolds!