[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 25591]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           IN RECOGNITION AND MEMORY OF TAYLOR CATHERINE FEDA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 22, 2009

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, I am honored to submit 
the following poem written by Ms. Taylor Catherine Feda of Columbia, 
South Carolina. Taylor sadly passed away on July 6, 2007. She is 
remembered as a kind and generous daughter and friend as well as an 
excellent student at Dutch Fork High School where she excelled in 
writing poetry.
  Her parents, Jim and Michelin Feda of Irmo, were so kind to share the 
following poem penned by Taylor and included in the 2008 Dutch Fork 
High School literary magazine Revelations.

                                Monster

     What do you find in the truth,
     but something in it's most pure original form.
     Something you must accept and respect on its own terms.

     People can never really accept the truth,
     They want to hide it with their own shades,
     Or betray it as something more ideal for their needs and 
           wants.

     But maybe the truth is what we need,
     And once we accept its purity,
     Maybe it's exactly everything we want?

     I'm sick of seeing the ones I care about leap over the truth
     and jump right off the ledge of thinking straight,
     or hoping things will change.
     I'd like them to view things as I do,
     With the glass half-full,
     give or take a few sips of confidence in what the outcome 
           will be either way.

     The truth is about acceptance, and betrayal,
     love and hopeless mistakes of reading the road signs that 
           lead the other direction,
     those road signs possibly leading to ditches of deception or 
           a simple glimpse of happiness.

     The truth is a monster that hurts people,
     but somehow heals their vision of thinking things are
     perfect and surreal.

     Let's accept it,
     Embrace it,
     Defy it.

                          ____________________