Feeling Winter

The stark, brown lines
Of oaks in winter,
Thin against the endless sky,
Humble in their decrease,
Stretch like the soul
Toward heaven,
Bare and fruitless to the eye
Yet alive down deep
Where sleeping blooms
Await reawakening.

The pale, gray mood
Of clouds in winter
Flat across the widened sky,
Ambiguous in form
And bleak of portent,
Cold in its deceit,
Creeps like the ache of age,
Apparently hopeless,
Yet the warmth of Spring
Awaits reaapearance.

ALIVE

I AM ALIVE.
Like the wind, I come and go.
Like the waves, I swell and fall.
Like the sun, I shine and fade.
Like the earth, I move.

I AM ALIVE.
Like the blooms, I open and close.
Like the trees, I stand and wait.
Like the clouds, I sometimes rain....
Like the grass, I grow.

LET'S BE ALIVE.
Like the priests, we'll sacrifice.
Like the monks, we'll seek His face.
Like the saints, we'll sing His praise.
As His beloved, we'll drown in grace...

 

Not Quite

I am a preacher without a voice,
A clown with a normal nose,
A book store where no one likes to read,
A model that can't strike a pose.

I am a song that's missing music,
A gourmet meal dropped to the floor,
A shining star obscured by the clouds,
A game for which no one keeps score.

I am a bird that's unable to fly,
A flower that doesn't bloom,
A sappy letter lost in transit,
A hotel without any rooms.

I am a fortune with no one to spend it,
An outlet without any wires,
A gun that has no ammunition,
A painting caught up in a fire.

I am a water hose filled with holes,
A phone that can not go through,
A sister born as an only child,
A hopeless case if not for you.

HOLDING OUT

I hold out hope
Like a beacon
Shining forth
Into the future
Its rays breaking up
The dread darkness
Into fleeting specters,
Making room for dreams
To stand, discovered.

The two that remain

Are kept close by,
Delighting in the unseen
Exposed by hope
And giving out light
Of a different kind,
Its warmth disarming
History cold
And chasing fear.
 

These three I carry,

Traversing time
As if it moved
On whispers low,
Neither seen
Nor barely heard
While high above
Clouds of wisdom
Gather with belief.

Schism

Within the darkened dungeon walls

The locks are cinched up tight
So no one hears the desperate calls
For hope, for bread, for light –
While just above a feast is held
Inside the hallowed halls,
As those who walk in freedom
Take the blessings meant for all.

The captives do not know how close

Their rescue, in truth, lies
For they are separated from
The source of redeemed life,
And while they long for being saved
Before they reach an earthly grave,
The privileged won’t dare to go
Into the dungeon’s gloomy glow.

Is there but one who’d dare to help

These suffering souls to rest?
A selfless fan of mercy
And the least of those he bests?
While putting others first, with love,
To offer up the key,
A willing soul to teach them how
To walk amongst the free?

For when we stop to realize

How little we deserve
Compared with how we’re magnified
With favor unreserved,
We can not help but want to share
With all who know the need,
The boundless love and tender care
In God’s great family.

MYSELF

I don’t want to be myself

Sometimes,
When others can’t see
The truth portrayed
And followed after,
Denying all
Beside it looming tall.

 

I can’t bear to be myself

Sometimes,
When isolation
Pulling me sideways
Into its black hole,
Denies the light
Outside it taking flight.
 

I can’t help but be myself

Sometimes,
When everything fits
The image unreal -
Yet we stop looking,
Perception trapped
Inside the mirror’s half.
 

I won’t try to be myself

Sometimes,
Because of the lies
That we believe
Before we know it,
Fair or unfair,
Hence the labels to wear.
 

I won’t show to you myself

Sometimes,
When nothing changes
In dreams transparent,
Meant not to come true
In ideal form,
Thus the mask is worn.

The Crossroads

We argued at the crossroads.
As the night set in
You lit the ancient path,
Yet I stood my ground,
Gaze fixed
In the direction
Of my longing.

We remained at the crossroads.
As my vision failed,
You waited, unmoving,
Yet I did not turn,
Heart lost
In the depth of
Vain imaginations.

I left you at the crossroads.
As the distance grew
Between our separate ways
I stood to lose all,
Tricked by
The way that seems right
But leads to pain.

I crawled back to the crossroads.
As the sun arose
You held out both your hands,
Yet I bowed lower,
In shame
At having left
The Higher Road.

You held me at the crossroads.
As the Light shone bright
Only one Way remained
Yet I clung to you,
My guide
And refuge on
The narrow path of life.

Of Course

Of course it comes down

To me and you
And why do I not see it?
You’re where the waning leads,
You’re at the end of me.
 

Of course you allow

The broken ties
And why don’t I expect it?
You alone the hurting mend,
You alone make whole again.

Of course I am wrong

To start anew
And why do I yet believe?
You instill the dark with light,
You bring hope to the failing fight.

Of course this house

Is made of cards
And why did I construct it?
You are my sheltered place,
In you I find love’s face.

RESIGNATION

When the tree is young,
Its bright green leaves,
Bursting forth boldly,
Proclaim intent to grow
With stunning focus,
Not to be challenged by
The sky’s failure to rain,
The sun’s refusal to shine,
The soil’s lack of content,
Nor the air’s stagnant heat.

Now it grows older,

Its branches turn
Careful in season,
Producing darker fruit
With timidity,
While often challenged by
The damaging winds,
The violent storms,
The incessant assault
On its viability.

In later winter

The tree resolves
To stand tall and proud,
Its calloused bark rigid
With hollow furrows
That mark its challenges
With time and attack,
With needful neglect,
With resignation
And withered, fading fruit.

                           

RISE ABOVE

Come with me

And rise above
All that is not born of love,
Come to see
And come to hear,
With open eyes
And eager ears,
The higher life
That we can live
When captured by
The One who gives
The Way to heaven
Here on Earth
Within the secret
Of rebirth...

We can choose

To rise above
All that's not in line with love,
We can think
And we can feel,
With renewed minds
And hearts now healed,
When we remember
It's our right
To choose His Way
And fight the fight
For all that's good
And in the Light
Of honest truth,
The highest height...

 

 

RESTORATION

 You'll have to feel your way through

 The fear to freedom's side,

Allowing that I love you

On levels beyond high,

And standing on this solid ground

You'll know to take the leap

When I have spoken softer words

For you in mind to keep.

 

You'll have to risk surrendering

And trust me to protect

The part of you I made to be

Responsive to neglect -

Your innocence was taken

By the force of others' will,

But I am God of what should be

And I'll restore you still.

 

Steadfast

Take my heart,

This ship at sea,
And firmly steer the oars,
Providing breath
To fill the sails
O’er gently rolling swells.

Guide my way

By truest light
On steady course to you
Who shows the path
Through stormy night
And all that threatens harm.
 

Keep me steadfast

On this keel,
No list to right nor left,
On par to reach
The promised shore
Where life abundant rests.

Set Back

Lies that we’ve believed before

Are harder to resist,
For when they knock upon the door
To give a traitor’s kiss,
We think to open wide enough
To take a better look,
Still, unable to call their bluff,
We’ll take the bait and hook.

 

So familiar are the words
That we don’t want to hear,
We fail to see they prey upon
The deepest of our fears,
For truth not spoken out of love
Might also be deceit
When the fruit it offers us
Is judgment and defeat.

 

Yet tempting these untruths can be

Considering the source,
For once we took them honestly
As love’s corrective force,
Though now we’ve learned just who we are
And purpose to forgive,
We still must bear the hateful scars,
On hearts set free to live.

Purpose

This is natural,
Being here,
Where pieces fit
Together
Serving purpose
Without trying -
Destiny reached,
Automatic,
No will to err
In pleasing other
Than the source
Of all reason
To exist.

This is simple,
To be here,
Where all are content
Together
Serving purpose
Without complaint –
None greater,
None less,
No egos to argue
For power
Over others
Under reason
To exist.

 

 

One Day

One day we will step outside
The confines of our shallow minds
And into outer realms of joy
Where Spirits join to become one
Dimension to expand as love,
Unending brightness all around
As laughter with a smile wins out,
Releasing all that held us down
From here to end of glory's time
Where limits don't exist in rhyme
Nor touch, nor feel, nor open eyes,
Nor how to show you truth that I
So badly want to share inside
Your heart that has been waiting for
The freedom beyond insight's door...

Mine

Be anxious not, nor worry so,
For I dwell in your heart,
And I will calm its beating fast
With words of love and truth,
Reminding you to seek me out
As you give thanks in prayer,
That I would give you everything
Required for life and peace.
 
I am an ever-present help
In time of need for you,
Always giving all I have
To be received as free,
And even in your toughest times
If you will just be still,
I will reveal myself to you,
'Til all else becomes small.
                                       
When you perceive the love I have
For you, my child and bride,
Nothing then can trouble you           
As we walk side by side
Throughout this world I’ve overcome
No matter what it brings,
For we’re together for all time
And every burden I’ll make mine.

Disregard

When the world was younger
And the days were long to fade,
Time was in our favor
Like the promises we made
In the haste of lofty visions
Born of dreams too young to wait
While the sun that set before us
Painted colors far away
From long-expected yellows,
Replacing them with grays,
And the moon at closer distance
Offered no means of escape.

Now that life is older
And the knowing weighs us down,
Time is growing shorter
As we fumble secrets found
In the loss of hopeful reaches
Where the resignation sounds
Like the tolling of a broken bell
In which the spider's webs abound,
For we have chosen thus to hear
The tune that ever comes around,
Repeating over moments lost
The disregard that we've allowed.
 

Gone Before

Like the clouds before the storm

Prepare the sky to fall,
And like the waves upon the shore
That smooth the sand on which we walk,
As the cold of winter tells
The trees to drop their leaves,
And like the plow that tills the soil
To ready for the seed,
You go before me, making way
That I might follow where you lead.

Like the shepherd goes ahead,

Securing pastures green,
And leads the flock beside still waters,
Safe from dangers they don’t see,
Guiding like a light in darkness,
Pointing to the promised land,
He goes in front of those who follow,
Reaching back His steady hand
When all is safe to walk beside Him,
Trusting in the path He’s planned.

 

Morning Song

The mockingbird sings

Like he just saw the sun

For the very first time today,

His song carries with it

A message of joy

To the mind that was drifting away

On the seas of regret

And the winds of discord

While the heart slowly whispered dismay...

But for me he exists

That I know to rejoice

In each moment of life, come what may.

The Lone One

In the desert stands a tree,

All around it grains of sand
Shift with the wind
And come to rest
In teeming waves
‘Til its roots are buried,
Unable to breathe for the weight
Of the gusting, gathering crowd.

The tree stands tall,
Looks to the heavens
And sees above the host,
Clear is the sky it longs for
As it reaches, desperate
For the raining water of life
To calm the massive tide
Of accumulating disappointment.
 
Incapable of movement,
It lowers twisted branches
And waits for relief,
Gives up the struggle
For growth while it yields
To the need for the horde
To be masked in its shadow,
Looking toward its roots in despair.

Out of Reach

The stars are just beyond the trees,
Drawing my awareness outward,
Holding it fast with their vast promise,
And yet they are out of reach
Just like my dreams;
Ever envisioned, never touched,
For this earth on which my feet are planted
Forces me to spin within its time,
Confines the imagination to smaller things,
Demands focus on what can be seen…
Like the cat brushing its soft, black fur
Lightly against my ankles bare,
Weaving rhythmically,
Begging attention without a sound…
So the finite world distracts me
From the contemplative awe
Of reaching possibilities infinite.

Alter Ego

The alter ego takes its throne

Prepared to govern me
And soon thereafter I’m alone
In present company,
For it has deemed too great a risk
The heart that’s finally free,
Instead commanding my retreat
To safer boundaries within reach.

Deep inside a tiny protest

Tries to warn the growing heart -
The King of Silence only thinks of
Winning in a fool’s regard,
Where spoils are measured only
By the lack of casualty
And one who lives to fight again
Has postponed agony.

There is no truth within the fort

But what the King decrees,
Until one comes from outer courts
To knock deliberately,
Breaking through the Silence,
Asking that the heart be seen,
And waiting, patient, at the door
For she who has been freed once more.

 

The Real Thing

While still, I think of something real,
Something beautiful that I feel,
Begins at heart and grows from there,
Becoming something that is shared,
And in my mind I hold it fast,
Knowing that this dream will last
As long as I will walk this earth
In search of more of what comes first
Before the deeds, before the fruit,
Before the words that speak the truth,
Before the peace, before the hope,
Before the wonders I am shown,
Before the rising up above
Into a realm where all is love,
Your Spirit comes in to abide
Makes me new from deep inside,
Reveals the thing on which I dwell,
The Lord of mind and soul as well,
Existing at the source of light,
Author of the Spiritual life.

The Parable of the Walk

The Believer is likened unto a man who went for a walk.

He chose to pursue a worthy destination and carefully selected his path and pace. However, after setting out he forgot where he was headed, which path to take, and how rapidly to place his steps. He became distracted and enticed by wants and temptations that were not part of his walk. He allowed his mind to rest on the futile things of darkness. Soon he found himself tired and lost, walking alongside other wanderers on rough, steep, and dangerous ways.

Yet in his time of need a light in his heart awakened his spirit and he recalled the wise words often uttered to him by those who cared. These truths mercifully reminded him of his prior pursuit and he became grieved that he had abandoned his walk. All around him were unfamiliar faces and places and he wondered at how he had arrived here.

 
The man searched everywhere, asking, seeking and knocking on doors until he found the Teacher who called Himself the Way. The smile of His Lord and King beckoned him to follow. Secure on his chosen path again, he kept his eyes fixed on Jesus and his feet on the narrow way. Evermore he would strain towards his goal - not looking behind nor fretting - but actively learning by imitation, as a child does, how to walk uprightly.

Lost in Haze

If I could stand and watch the sky

So splendid in its motion smooth,

And soft within its billows high

To see the wonder of your love,

Then would I gaze for hours on end

To view the grand procession slow,

Observing that the birds pretend

A higher path they do not know

Though far beyond as you pass by

They linger long on sunny days,

Wishing for the wings to fly

To reach the summit lost in haze

And soar up there without a care,

The earth below a tiny field

Of flowers fading, once so fair,

For those who to the ground would yield

Forget there’s more than life down there.
 

Hearts of Women

These hearts of women,

Blatantly colored,
Flash and shine
In the fashion of dance
As they give and offer,
Create and dream.

The hearts of women,

Made to fly freely,
Sing, and laugh
For the sake of lightness
Often grow heavier,
Misunderstood.

These hearts of women,

Callously broken,
Cry out and mourn
Like a jaded soldier
As they succumb to pain,
Scarred and let down.

The hearts of women,

Beautifully crafted,
Hold onto hope
In the form of potential
For love’s restoration,
Their fondest wish.

DYING

The dream lay dying
In a manner of neglect
As the crippled cry
Of clanging cymbals
Sounded its pretense
And love languished
Along the lavish illusion,
Hiding hungry hope.

The vision vanished,
Leaving lonely the language
Once spoken sweetly,
Now silent and slow
To recover reasons
For forming fondness
Within the voice once vivacious,
Now of negative note.

Will the wounded win?
Where and why does wonder wait?
A miracle maybe
Could curtail collapse
And daunt demolition
Eager and evil;
Possibility's promise
Healing hardened hearts.