Time

Mapped a way.

Get there somehow.

Got to get through.

Get there some way.

Striving,

Holding on.

Standing

On what I hold dear.

Clinging

To the last of my sanity.

Staying

In the zone.

Socializing

When I can.

Visiting

With my friends.

Making ends meet.

Paying bills.

Cooking meals.

Getting up on time.

Time.

It’s a funny thing.

It means

So much to us.

So important.

Structure.

Pay checks.

Fitting in.

A day’s work.

Taking a vacation.

Getting sick.

Leaving for a little while,

For appointments,

Running errands.

We want to do what’s right.

We want to please our boss,

At least most of the time.

Jumping through

The hoops they make for us,

Biding time (there’s that word again),

Until we can go home,

To do what we want,

What really matters to us.

The comfy, cozy stuff.

Let us go home.

Let us be safe.

Let us be with the ones we love.

Let us have time to be ourselves.

Let us have more time.

Meddle

Delight doom deed real muppet

Mouth quarter map tell ape take

Lend ordinance keep create leak

Asunder seek made sack more

Make sake walk mood evil murder

End laid endear read cane meek

Age said root pop model word nick

Ate lid far nick sell wad lob lock cook

Mock rot mull look sit sick roll apple

Floor more murky bottle meter muffle

Doodle muck people daddy rainbow

How angel seam aching stable rack

Tacky teepee about near theft track

Seed render reindeer talking blanket

Beer satchel purpose training meddle

Freedom

Freedom.

I say, FREEDOM!

Let us all rejoice.

Let us all break free

From the chains that hold us.

Let us not let others

Tell us what we can and can’t do.

Let us not let religion or politics

Stand in the way.

Let us not let old, crotchety, white men

Tell us how we can spend

The rest of our days.

Let us love who we want to love,

Go where we want to go,

Say what we want to say,

Worship who we want to worship,

Be who we want to be.

There is too much constraint.

There are too many rules.

There are too many eyes

Spying on us from cracks in the walls.

There are too many guns

Pointed at us in the face.

We want to free.

We want to live our lives

How we want to live.

Please,

Set us free,

In the name of God,

In the name of our forefathers,

In the name of freedom riders,

In the name of Ghandi,

In the name of Martin,

And Malcolm,

And John Lennon,

And John F. Kennedy,

And Robert Kennedy,

And all the others that have died,

Do what is right,

Do what is right.

Democracy

What if I could not say hello to you?

What if we couldn’t have sex?

What if we couldn’t go to church on Sunday?

What if we could not work?

There are so many possibilities,

So many freedoms that we all

Take so much for granted.

I am as guilty as anyone else.

We have it so good in our country,

Though there is always

Plenty of room for improvement.

Right now, there are many injustices

Present for many people.

The mistreatment, and, sometimes,

Even murders of black citizens

By police officers is a concern;

Another is the mass deportation

Of Hispanic immigrants;

And the unequal pay and

Lack of promotions for women;

And the exploitation of student loans;

And the influence of big business

And the extremely wealthy in politics;

The list goes on and on.

These are some of my concerns.

I’m sure you have plenty of your own,

And they may be the same,

Or they may be very different.

Perhaps you are concerned

About the use of abortion;

Or maybe, same-sex marriage;

Or the welfare state.

We all have our priorities.

We all value different things,

And, perhaps, they are two sides

To the same coin.

It’s what makes our country great.

But, I wonder,

Can our country withstand the strain

That it is under?

So much conflict!

So much stress on our daily lives.

Can we make it through

The crucible of our greatest strength,

But perhaps our greatest weakness:

Democracy?

From One Christian to Another: Southern “Heritage” and Marriage Equality for All

Gordon S. Bowman III's avatarStumbling along the sidewalk

I have seen a lot of buzz and opinions posted on the internet this week about the historic changes that have happened, and are still coming about in the U.S. I figured I would add my two cents as well, now that I’ve had some time to process it all.

I know that many of my Southern friends are upset about the Confederate flags coming down, but I really think it is a no-brainer, and it should have happened long ago, like at the end of the 19th Century or something. I don’t know if Southern states have been flying them all along or not, but I really think it is a crime against humanity to try to retain anything reminiscent of the Confederacy, except in a museum. You can go there to celebrate your heritage, not parade it around like it was something positive, because for black people, it…

View original post 663 more words

From One Christian to Another: Southern “Heritage” and Marriage Equality for All

I have seen a lot of buzz and opinions posted on the internet this week about the historic changes that have happened, and are still coming about in the U.S. I figured I would add my two cents as well, now that I’ve had some time to process it all.

I know that many of my Southern friends are upset about the Confederate flags coming down, but I really think it is a no-brainer, and it should have happened long ago, like at the end of the 19th Century or something. I don’t know if Southern states have been flying them all along or not, but I really think it is a crime against humanity to try to retain anything reminiscent of the Confederacy, except in a museum. You can go there to celebrate your heritage, not parade it around like it was something positive, because for black people, it is a crying shame. It is a symbol of a time when an African people were robbed of everything by the greed of a country that had no shame, of immense cruelty, of stripping them of every right they had, including family, property, and even their name. It’s way past time for us all to appreciate that.

Now, as far as the marriage equality debate, I have to admit, like most people, it has taken me a long time to come around. I think it is only within the last ten years that our culture has really gotten to the point where we understand that two people can love each other, no matter what their sexual orientation. I think most of us grew up with the idea that alternative sexual orientation was a kind of deviancy that was to be avoided at all costs, joked about, teased mercilessly, etc. But I see now that it is not just about sex, but more about gender identity. Most people probably don’t even think about it. But it is an important and necessary distinction to make. Yes, sex is involved in the relationship, I imagine, although, like in heterosexual marriage, that is none of our business. I am still processing it all, too. It is about a committed, sacred relationship. It is about love. Everyone deserves that.

I wanted to say a few words about the Bible, as well. Although, for Fundamentalists, and many Evangelicals,  arguing is like beating your head against a wall, I wanted to try, for those who are on the fence, or, possibly struggling with these issues. The Bible mentions slavery in passing in the New Testament, not sure where else, or of the verse, but I think it is Paul who encourages slaves to obey their masters, and masters to treat their slaves well. Anyone who thinks this is a justification of slavery is fooling themselves. It is a matter of fact statement, relative to only the culture at the time, because slaves were common then. It does not say slavery in itself is right, or that it is good. It was just how things were. The world had not evolved to even consider that question yet, and neither did the Apostle Paul. Just because it is mentioned in the Bible does not mean that culture cannot move on from that point and improve and grow. It’s ridiculous to think that way. If in doubt, see the commands to the people of Israel all over the Old Testament, and specifically in Exodus. Muslims, check the Koran. All the holy scriptures were originally written to apply to a specific time and place, not for everyone, and not for all time.

Lastly, an appeal to more common sense concerning this same issue. The Bible talks a lot about lust. It is all over the place. The main reference in the Book of Romans mentions lust, as well. Is it love that the Bible prohibits, or is it lust? I think that most people, without even checking, can answer that. Lust is dangerous. It gets us into all kinds of trouble. We can all relate to that. We have all been there. But the Bible talks a lot about love, too. Jesus, especially, mentions it over and over. Paul says it a lot, too. You really can’t mount an argument against love. If you can, I would hate to be you. Who would want to argue with love? Marriage Equality is about love, not lust. People don’t want to get married so they can have sex. They want commitment, relationship, support, and equality under the law, with all the rights from the government that come with that. How can you deny them that? Why would you want to? If you have a personal hang up about it, keep it to yourself. That’s your issue. Give people freedom and equality. It is their God-given right. Leave others alone. It’s really none of your business, anyway.

Money, Money, Money

Money, money, money.

Time ensnared, body in chains…

No, not really, not ever, not quite.

I never really know

How that really feels,

So, I shouldn’t say that.

But, sometimes, I feel

Like there is an invisible

Ball and chain

Around my leg,

In my office.

No, I don’t really know

What that feels like, I know,

But, do you ever feel like that?

Because you have to be there?

Because you have to pay your bills?

I know, I have it very good.

I shouldn’t complain.

There are lots of benefits

That come with my job.

I know, I have it very easy,

Compared to many others.

So, perhaps, it is wrong

For me to complain.

But, just for the moment,

Please, indulge me.

After all, I live in a country,

In which some seem to think,

It is their right to hate.

It is their right to discriminate.

It is their right to enslave.

It is their right to provide

A small amount of benefits,

Or, none at all,

In return for very hard work,

With little pay,

With no leave,

With no insurance.

Am I too far off?

Am I wrong, after all,

To bring up the fact,

That it is on the broken backs of those

Who produce the labor,

To earn the dollars

That fill the pockets

Of those at the very top,

While leaving very little

For the rest of us?

What is wrong with this picture?

Rambling Reflections

Packed prevent attack tacked on

Taste waste find friends bend not

Mend yourself tend to trite concerns

Lie your truth a mess test the list goes

On and on lasts forever tinker tell

Well right you might be you are wrong

So silently rank and detain file stick

Lacking in step lock your doors

Demand a tour round and rind real

Divulge peel ding dang strange Ralph

Linger tingle triangle whoosh liven up

Your Christmas tree gatherings with

Torches to burn them at the stake

Why not you are a good and

Upstanding KKK supporter,

You pay your dues,

You lynch right from the pew,

You falsify the truth,

You find a new way to justify a lie,

You run from the real reason

You believe the way you do.

Don’t we all? Well, maybe not,

But there are many like you.

They keep coming out of the

Woodwork around here,

It’s getting crazy!

Do you feel the tension?

Speak to me!

Tyrants and Tasmanian devil-

Worshippers contain a grain of truth,

But, no more, I’m sure.

We all grow apart eventually.

We all find other pursuits

To tickle our fancy.

I want to wet my whistle.

Let’s call a truce between the youths.

Let’s make up rays of sunshine Blues.

Let’s tease the bit of softening blows

To the head, the throat, the back,

The lungs. Where do you like it?

Anytime. Anyplace. Wherever it’s

Convenient, of course.