Eerie times,
The world is falling apart.
So many don’t agree,
Failing to take responsibility.
Will there be a world
For our children’s children?
Glaciers melting,
Floods flashing,
Tornadoes reeking havoc.
So much chaos.
Maybe we’ll come to our senses,
Eventually.
I closed my eyes to the world,
For I could not bear another
Moment of its peril,
Persecution and sword.
All the fighting was too much
To take in each day,
The cruelty and carnage,
The swearing and insulting,
Turning heads to wrongs abounding.
So, my hope was hanging
In a precious balance.
Whether I could go on,
Was in doubt, for sure.
I decided to appeal
To my higher power,
The merciful God of Spirit,
Who had rescued my life from ruin.
Somehow, there must be possibility
For my present earth to reconcile
All this shambles of civilization,
A carcass of the creation
That existed so many years ago.
I prayed a solemn petition,
Asking Jesus for His grace,
A gentle dose of mercy
For this time and place.
And so I placed my trust
In the heaven above,
Shedding no more tears for the future.
I know it is in God’s hands,
And I believe that is enough.
I was going to say
Something wonderful,
But I stopped short of wonder,
And went with terrible, instead.
It seemed more appropriate,
And I was content.
I thought I might compliment
All the impressive things
Being done in the world,
But before I got very far,
I contemplated the war machine,
And colonization, and slavery,
So I let it be, and moved on.
So many good people doing good things,
It makes me want to have faith,
But instead I think about
Corruption, shootings and partisanship,
And I want to throw up.
Silence.
Tick, tick, tick, tick…
Ouch! That hurts!
Tick, tick, tick, tick…
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Hello?
Silence.
Hello? Is there anybody there?
Silence.
Tick, tick, tick, tick…
Ring! Ring! Ring!
I don’t care! I just don’t care, anymore.
Silence.
Pretty presents
Faces glow
Decorations
Falling snow
Being good
Is every little boy’s
Solemn goal
Being sweet
Every little girl’s
Ultimate dream
Have a party
Invite your friends
Make merry and drink a toast
To a wonderful year
Call your mom
And visit your Dad
Make a pie
And then a ham
Cool it well
Eat before it gets cold.
Black dots scattered in the air,
Above my head, folding in.
Red pieces of clay, stuck to my shoe,
Covering footprints, hovering around me.
I want to go on a journey,
Without leaving home,
Without sacrificing what is familiar to me.
I want to meet you
In a jungle, beside a river,
Closing my hands together,
Above a campfire, singing
Familiar words
To a familiar tune.
Freedom is my goal, but
Comfort is my preoccupation.
Can I have one,
Without losing the other?
Dark splats cover the head,
Driven insane by death and doubt.
Blood drips from heavy hands,
Weighed down by worry and despair.
A coat lays on the shoulders
Of a man trapped in a recording
That repeats over and over again.
There is no escape for an obsessed man.
Polite words crawl out of his mouth.
He is eager to please, eager to end
The shameful suffering of those
Cooped up inside the temple.
Where can we go? They cry.
When will it all end? They whisper.
To submerge in the holy water
Is the dream of my home,
And of my people.
To be washed clean
Of this heaviness,
Of this trauma,
Of this unclean spirit.
Free me now!
Have mercy!
Please, have mercy.
Walk through the ocean
Cool beside screen
Jump in space
Honeycomb from a flower
Bees are buzzing
Plunge into a puddle
Front entry to be
Verse ten soothe
Lousy loud lifts
Scars left from teeth bared
Sunken deep in tender flesh,
Pointed ears casting a drooping shadow
On your empty bed.
Silent screams echo in your head,
Mongrel creatures claw over your body.
Blood drips from open wounds.
Who has visited on this dark day?
Who has given the fateful command
To demons and devils,
Legions of rebels,
Wanting only to cast the last straw?
My name is in his pitiful memory.
My shadow clings to his body.
My spirit is trapped in his hand.
Remember the challenge,
Dread the day,
When all will be turned
Upside down
And inside out.
A lion will roar,
From the top of the mountain.
A lamb will lay down,
In peace, with no treachery.
Resurrect myself,
Through the points of light
Shooting through the dirt,
Through my fingertips.
Yes, I know,
No-man’s land is no place
For optimism or happy talk.
My house is covered with tears,
Falling from the sky.
My God reigns—I can’t deny it.
But he is yours and theirs, too.
Everyone can accept the invitation.
Come as you are,
And drink plentifully
Of the river of life.
Yes, you. Whoever you are.
You are welcome.
Stumbling along the sidewalk 