The Writing Page of Ryan Millward
“Life is too short to stay enclosed on the farm of safety all your life. At all times one must be ready to jump those fences of normality and run with the wild horses. One must be ready to enter the woods of madness and build tree houses with the elves. One must be ready to leave this world behind with the adventure scarred into their skin and the sunsets seared into their soul.”
“The days when you are most alive are
when the demons are at your heel,
when madness becomes your vehicle,
when the gods sit on the edge of their seat.
The days when you are most alive are
when comfort and security are out of sight,
when the fear falls away into the dirt,
and the heavens linger on the horizon
The days when you are most alive are
when the script is torn into pieces,
when routine is eaten by chaos,
when normality malfunctions and
your soul is set bright ablaze.
The days when you are most alive are
the days that you will remember
the days that scold themselves into your heart
that burn forever behind your eyes
that haunt the hallways of your mind
they are the days of struggle and salvation
the days of risk and glory
the days that leave you smiling
as you sit content in old age
remembering how amazing it was
to have lived a life
worth dying for.”
“One day in this life you realise you are infected with the condition of being an outsider. The symptoms are revealed to you gradually. As you walk the neighbourhoods of normality you realise your heart yearns for something else. Stability and security only give you a feeling of sadness. You have no interest in the contract of life offered to you. As you stare at the rows of houses and green lawns and shiny cars, as you look up uninterested at career ladders before you, as you stare wistfully into space in the supermarket queue, you gradually begin to realise that something isn’t quite right about it all. Every ounce of your being rejects the things you were told to desire. What gives you fulfilment simply isn’t available in their stores or on their menus. You have no interest in material riches or status. Their television shows and newspapers are toxic poison to your mind. You are allergic to their conventions and expectations. The suits and ties don’t fit you. What is important to them, to you seems utterly meaningless and trivial. In your world adventure and exploration and art rank above all else. Yes, accept it: you have the alien madness – the condition of being an outsider. You are infected. Do not trouble to even try and cure yourself, it will only make you worse. No, no, no: forget the therapists, forget the sensible advice, forget trying to fit into a society which doesn’t fit you. Do not trouble yourself. Here is what you shall do:
Let the infection take over. Let your eyes become bloodshot with blinding passion. Let your skin be shed, let your soul be set on fire – let that heart of yours become filled with poetry and madness. This is it: you were never one of them anyway, and the sooner you accept you never will be, the more powerful your mutant soul will become. You will liberate yourself from society and walk those streets with a rare strength and joy – a feeling of freedom not known or understood by those who define themselves in groups. The world around you will glisten with magic – you will see things they can’t see; do things they can’t do; go places they can’t go. You will attract strange glances and stares – sometimes in secret admiration, sometimes in fear. You will terrify some and inspire others beyond belief – and as the infection spreads further, you will grow stronger and stronger – fiercer and fiercer. Nothing will be able to hinder you. Things like isolation and rejection will only fuel your desire further. No cage or poacher will be able to capture your wild heart. You will be unstoppable like a storm; you will be impenetrable like a mountain. You will live the life of a fearless adventurer and go to the grave knowing that your life was lived with absolute fullness. The flowers around your grave will blossom with an exotic beauty; the birds will sing songs about your adventures at your headstone. You will have been totally consumed by your passion. You will have stayed happily infected till the end of your days. You will have died knowing that this world could never find a cure for your beautiful madness.”
(taken from my book The Thoughts From The Wild, available here)
~ The Mightiest Sword ~
“Pick up that pen and write like
you’re riding into war,
and the gods are on your front line
pick up that pen and write like
you’re an unknown gladiator,
and have the champion against the ropes
pick up that pen and write like
the monsters are closing in,
like words are the last line of defence
please, just pick up that pen and write
write the pain
the glory – the horror
write us the script of salvation
write like you’re the one to find us
the one to save us
the one to finally pull us out
the dark swamps of pain,
and lead us safely back
to the kingdom
of ourselves.”
“There is a new age coming
I can feel it in the air
The winds of change will soon lift
A million minds out of despair
There is a new dawn beginning
I can see it in their eyes
The wilted flower will now blossom
And the caged bird will finally rise
There is a new adventure calling
I can hear the dying of the fear
The suppressed voices of silent souls
Will soon sing out loud and clear
Because now is the turning of tides
When the water cannot be beaten
Now is the time of great hunger
When the lions have not yet eaten
And the hearts of fire will see no more clouds
As sunlight returns to their kingdom
And the wild ones will roar out loud
As they claim back those lands of freedom.”
~ Towards the Ineffable ~
Into those unknown lands you will venture
with your mind ignited by apprehension and awe
with your soul stirring with the springs of life
with your feet treading into the kingdom of self
The journey will be one of solitude and unease
the road will not be straightforward or well-trodden
and the way will drench you with discomfort and doubt
but into those unknown lands you will venture
outward across the plains of freedom
inward through the universe of yourself
tumbling down the rabbit-holes of your mind
tasting the fruits of life which you have starved for
you always felt it since you were a child
an inner pull to some ineffable joy
the magic of the universe waiting to be found
the treasure they told you wasn’t there – being there
and now as you walk toward it wild and free
the voices of fear will call you back
the caged souls will try to drag you down
the reflection in the water will turn and test you
but they will all fail like darkness against dawn
because into those unknown lands you will venture
bound by a desire to slip beyond the ordinary
unmoved by hate and ignorance
shaking off the shackles of slavery
unearthing the secrets of the soul
playing freely in the grass of eternity
swimming amongst the stars of infinity
discovering what it is
to truly – be alive
~ A Voice From The Wild ~ 