I'm posting these together to conserve space. I hope you like them!

"Dreaming Aloud"

My Hands may be empty,

But my Heart's ever full.

Better poor with my principles,

Than wealthy, but cruel.

One never wins,

And you cannot convince me,

By putting profit before people,

Control over liberty.

My words may seem foolhardy,

But what I say here is true,

Because a man cannot live

Without some kind of truth.

Right always wins,

As the storybooks say;

It requires patience and work,

But its fruits come to stay.

You can seek to control,

And to trim some loose ends,

But your followers will fear you,

You'll make foes and not friends.

Hostilities build,

And soon you will find

That, in addition to love,

Victory will be mine.

As for those who forget,

What they know to be right,

Justifying the wicked,

And ignoring man's plight.

Turn to the truth!

Be a brother, a friend,

'Cause this life that we live in,

Shall, soon enough, meet an end.

I may work my ass off,

And I may even die,

But I'll pass away knowing,

I had right on my side.

So respect thy enemy,

And be good to your friends,

Accept all our differences,

And then maybe hate here will end.

I'm an idealist sometimes,

And, guess what? I'm proud!

Because we shape the world

By dreaming aloud.

"A Hero"

A hero need not be pure of heart

Or stronger than a bear.

He need not purge his very soul

Of fear, contempt, despair.

He doesn't need to be the light

To battle 'gainst the dark.

He need not be a chosen one

Or brag like Tony Stark.

A brave man doesn't run from fear,

He defeats it and moves on

'Cause how can a man fight like a wolf,

If inside he's just a fawn?

A hero does not stay in light,

He carries it beyond,

Becomes a light out in the dark;

To night, he is the dawn.

A brave man knows what he believes,

That hope and love are true,

And brings this light to those in the dark,

To bring 'bout life anew.

He fights for truth and mercy,

So love can ever spread.

He fights no matter what the odds,

Even if it ends with a hero dead.