Victor W. Brown

The Queen and Ambition

by Victor W. Brown (1998)

Written for my parents, August Calvin Brown Jr. and Lovata Moss Brown

The beauty queen from the South has caught

the eye of the man of Ambition.

Ambition wants to do great things—

he says his life is in his hands.

His father said, “Stand up and be counted.

Lay each stone with perfection,

and the world will come to you.”

The man of Ambition wanted to fly,

to walk among men with great medals—

but life gives you hope,

and shows you the truth—

not your truth, but truth.

The winter winds blow,

and two hands meet.

She left another place

to escape the tobacco fields of despair.

Her mother taught her compassion

and the will to survive.

The Queen had ambition

long before she met him.

Together, they built a home—

of sweat, blood, exhaustion,

love, fear, drive, ambition, and hope.

The Queen and Ambition

had written their own script—

but now they know:

the Book of Life

is written

one page at a time.