Raymond Klassen – Ideals and Identities

Alberta, you’re torn, a heart pulled apart,
Loving two worlds, yet you can’t play the part.
One hand reaching out for the sky’s endless blue,
The other, still clutching the land that you knew.

You flirt with escape, but hold on too tight,
Afraid to let go, afraid of the fight.
A lover, a dreamer, a fighter, a fool—
Each self a reflection, each mind a duel.

You speak of the future, yet cling to the past,
Wanting to soar but afraid it won’t last.
Your heart is a battlefield, riddled with doubt,
You promise the stars, then shut them out.

You call for freedom, yet chain yourself fast,
A restless spirit, but bound to your past.
You burn with desire, then freeze with regret,
Each thought a flame you’re too scared to let.

You ache for the road but fear what’s unknown,
So you stand on the edge, yet never have flown.
One moment you’re fierce, the next you’re withdrawn—
Like a lover who leaves but always comes on.

You speak of a future, then break it in two,
A lover who wants, but can’t follow through.
With one eye on the future, the other on scars,
You fracture your soul, as you reach for the stars.

Alberta, you spin, like a wheel out of sync,
Chasing your dreams, then pulling back to the brink.
Torn between freedom and ties that won’t sever,
You destroy what you want, then long for it forever.

Each step that you take, you retreat from the cost—
A lover whose passion is always half-lost.
Alberta, you’re both, and neither at once,
And in your confusion, you’ll always be stuck.