Stumbling along the sidewalk

Stripes on a back,

Stripping a man, a woman,

Of clothes,

Stealing children,

Separating husbands and wives,

Changing an individual’s name:

It all adds up, eventually.

Waving a banner

To glorify it all.

Is it right?

Is it just?

We aren’t proud

Of all that happened,

All that still happens

To a people

That have put up with it all

For far too long.

We must come together.

We must compromise.

We must give up our privilege,

And lift the downtrodden

To a higher place.

The oppressed cry out.

Please, stop the lies.

The hatred

And the cruelty must end.

This is the time.

It is long past time, in fact.

Centuries.

Remove the darkness.

Heal the wounds.

Seek forgiveness.

Come together

For the good of all.

Wrestling with truth,

Pounding at the pillow,

Struggling with pain,

Clawing at the walls,

Climbing up the trees.

Is there an answer,

Or do I just embrace what is?

Do I accept the past,

Move in the motion

Of the present,

And hope for something

That may or may not be,

Regardless of what I do?

Perhaps there is a middle way,

A path that takes me

To happiness.

Or perhaps,

Happiness is an illusion,

Or a delusion,

Or a lost cause from the beginning.

Does time march on,

And all that happens

Are simply cogs in a machine,

Including ourselves?

I want to believe

That change is possible,

And perhaps,

Even change, even revolution,

Is part of the plan

From the beginning,

A redemption of sorts.

God has been in control

Of his creation.

He knew the heartache

That was coming,

Because he knew

What we would choose,

Even when we had

Complete freedom not to.

We would get ourselves

Into a load of trouble,

Not understanding

That we are not gods,

Worshipping ourselves

Out of arrogance,

Ignoring justice,

And following our greed.

We want it all,

But we can’t handle it,

And only he

Can save us from our mess.

Look up, look around,

Look deep inside

Your broken hearts.

He is all around,

And part of it all.

He loves you.

Calling

From a distance,

You hear your name.

Who is calling?

A stranger?

A friend?

An enemy,

Trying to deceive you?

An angel?

God himself?

Ask in your heart.

Do what you think

Is right.

Answer or not.

If you perceive

An enemy,

Be cautious.

If you think

A friend beckons you,

Be full of joy.

Do not hesitate.

Trust the Lord,

Either way.

He will be with you,

No matter what happens,

Good or bad.

Do not be afraid

Of difficult circumstances.

It is part of life.

God will use

Whatever happens

To build you up

Or tear you down

And remake you

Into something better.

Do not worry

About pain or suffering.

Do not desire

Anything.

Just accept

Whatever happens

And whomever

Comes your way.

Do not compare yourself

To others.

Do not think about

Tomorrow.

Do not dwell

On the past.

Live for today.

Be in the present

At all times.

Enjoy the journey.

Every day

Is a new day,

Full of surprises,

Or just routine.

Take life

As it comes,

And make something

Beautiful.

Life is what you make of it.

It is up to you.

Be yourself.

Love

At all times.

Love life.

Love all creatures.

Love the earth.

Love God.

Love yourself.

It is all connected.

Just love.

Twisting, turning,

You walk on,

Into the dark forest,

Out to the plains,

Over the mountains,

And down again.

You never really know

What comes next.

It is a mysterious journey

That we all must take.

Some say there is only one road,

But they are fooling themselves.

Do not worry

About the path.

You create the path

As you go.

Even when

You walk in darkness

There is a light

That burns inside

Your soul.

Follow

Wherever it leads you.

Just keep going.

Be true to yourself.

You are made

In the image of God.

Remember

He is with you

Always.

One person

Makes a change.

A little change.

It maybe affects

One person.

That person

Makes a change.

It affects

Two people.

And so on.

And so on.

It helps.

It makes a difference,

Right?

Oh, how I want

To believe it,

In my heart and soul.

Sometimes,

In the face

Of so much apathy,

So much resistance,

So much discouragement,

It gets hard,

Really hard,

To stick to the narrow road,

Through deep valleys,

Climbing such high mountains.

But occasionally, hopefully,

When you reach the top,

You can look down,

And you can see so much glory,

So much praise,

So much victory.

It’s worth doing.

It does

Make a difference.

Follow the path,

Even if

You’re alone.

It’s worth it.

Focus, focus.

Look deeply into the grey.

Staring at the darkness,

Daring it to scream back at me.

Is there a solution to my misery?

Angels weep above my head,

Or in my head, whichever you’d have it.

Temptation roams around me.

Keeping my eyes down and my mouth shut,

I seek to escape confrontation

As best I can in a supercharged atmosphere.

But I cannot resist the occasional urge

To lash out, seeking peace and justice

For those around me.

It is such a sadness, it grieves me.

I want to help, albeit pitifully,

As I know my efforts, most of them,

Go mostly unheard, falling on

Much more than deaf ears around me.

I know I could go a lifetime

Without making a difference.

Sometimes, I feel so lazy,

Alone in my safe and quiet home,

While others go hungry, homeless,

Persecuted, tortured, murdered.

It seems so easy for me to talk about it.

Indeed, that is my level of comfort.

I want to have my voice heard.

But how?

Is it hopeless?

Feeling bursts into mental state.

I’m so irate, I pity my own fate.

I’ll take what you can give,

I’ll hope to be saved.

Simple things will rock me to taste,

The hardness of life cripples my brain.

Do you know of what I complain?

Have you seen my latest date?

Bait, such bait, my soul deflates.

Imprisoned, I swear till I wear my cape.

Tortured to the end, I’m always late.

In the hole, is where I’m laid.

Insane, insane, my rotten brain,

My life is cut, I hide from pain.

Can you see where I am made?

Where I plead, why I’m slain?

Softly it comes, quickly it raids.

With a twist, it becomes

The truth, such a bane.

It’s so wrong, a song,

A haunted refrain.

It’s been too long,

I pray now for rain.

It’s not me anymore, not what I claim.

What’s left of myself

Clings to, but wanes.

I lose my grip, not what I’d say.

It happens too fast, too soon,

What a lucky day!