Tag: change

Spiraling Outlook

Creases in your face

Make them think

You are sincere,

But the truth is,

You are lying

Through your teeth.

The more you flash

Those pearly whites,

The more you stray

From an honest take

On whatever you’ve been

Caught doing, that takes

From those who barely have,

And gives to those, like you,

Who don’t need.

For as long as I can remember,

Republicans have been complaining

About welfare for the poor,

And social security for the elderly

And disabled,

Those evil handouts.

All the while, the rich get richer,

And the poor get poorer.

But that’s not enough, apparently.

Now the poor will suffer illness

And lack for education,

While the super wealthy get more

Tax breaks and kickbacks

For their connections and power.

It really is sad

How the working middle class

Has been fooled

By your antics and smokescreens,

Giving their last dollar

To support you and all you stand for,

Then voting you and your cronies

Into power, only for you to take away

Their lifelines in the economy.

Birth Pains

Crying out

Does not happen

Without pain,

Without struggle.

Creativity

Is birthed

From suffering.

To attain

Resolution,

One must encounter

Conflict.

To reach the summit,

One must be faced

With challenge.

Something

Must be wrestled with,

To win.

And so I find myself

In times of difficulty,

Trying

To give birth

To a new creation.

So be it.

Identity

It’s a part of me,

My personality,

My sexuality,

Individuality.

I am unique,

The way God made me,

The way my parents raised me,

The things I’ve discovered

Along the bumpy way.

There’s no shame

In being this way—

Just because it was

Never mentioned in church,

Or school,

Or at home.

Even the basics

Were not taught.

Trial and error

Was my only way

To discover my body,

To find out

What it means

To be human.

To experiment

Inside and out,

To pop those bubbles

Of misconception,

Perversion of religion,

Crucifixion.

Cutie Pea

Distance grows

In the reflection of sunsets,

Deep in the pupils of your eyes.

Around your bright blue irises,

The once clear white

Is streaked with bloodshot,

And the skin on your cheek

Sags with the gravity of age,

And the weight of worries,

Long forgotten,

Though carried still.

What happened

To the happy-go-lucky girl

That I married,

Experimenting and experiencing

Life to the fullest,

Young and fresh and free?

Oh, those were the days:

Going on long walks together,

Holding hands.

Staying up late at night

And into the morning,

Just talking.

Intoxicated with each other.

Yes, that girl is gone,

But in her place is a woman,

Stronger, braver and wiser.

A more confident and courageous

Caretaker and leader,

Someone who takes risks.

Weathered by suffering and loss,

But soft and loving to the end.

A much improved confidante,

A loyal partner,

A treasured friend.

Carried Away

Life flowing from my heart

Is cut down by rivers of doubt.

The rushing water wears down

My early oaths and affirmations,

Slowing my faith to a halt.

My simple plan to ditch the man of the gospels,

Runs into blockades along the way.

Nests of love, peace and grace

Call me away from my solitary journey.

I sometimes fight the current,

Or allow myself to rest,

But naturally I am carried away

By the fantasies and delusions

Of my silly imagination.

The Fight

With a battering ram strapped to my forehead,

I push through the glistening walls of the great cathedral.

But for what?

Has this victory won me anything of value?

After all, the war has already been won by my adversary,

And this stub in the toe is no big loss to him.

My screams in the darkness win me no favors,

Gain me no pity, although he may shed a tear.

Shall I continue to throw stones through stained glass windows,

Knowing I am only hurting those I love and who love me?

Whom am I fighting, anyway, if not myself?

A Prayer for the World

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.

Life

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.

Communion

Sacrifice justice mercy love tribal watch out for

Those who are like you but even more for those

Who are different pluralism diversity freedom

Encouragement communion fellowship blood

And body bread and wine do this as you will

Power

Wrong meets right.

The fight is strong.

Laugh, they will.

Cry out, they must.

Shout, at the top of their lungs—

Justice must prevail.

So many innocent lives

Have been crushed by the fist

Of the oppressor!

So many suffer

Because of the greed

And the arrogance

Of the powerful.

The powerful?

Who is powerful?

What is power?

Don’t you know that

The wind has changed course

On this hot, dry day.

The wind! The water!

The earth! The animals!

The birds! The insects!

The trees! Yes, even the trees!

Look at an old oak tree,

And tell me about power!

Look at a rushing stream,

And tell me about power!

Watch a lion kill its prey,

And tell me about power!

Is a gun, power?

In the hands of a six year old, a gun is just as powerful as in the hands of a grown man!

A gun is just a tool.

It’s what you do with a tool

That makes it useful.

It’s what you do with a tool

That makes it powerful.

And when a thousand voices scream,

That’s power!

When the people speak as one,

That’s power!

Don’t be afraid.

Be excited!

Be joyful!

Be glad!

For power has come to the people,

And they will not be denied this moment.

They have prayed,

And they have worked,

And they have suffered

For this moment.

Listen to the wind blow

Through the trees!

Justice has come like a mighty rush of wind,

And anything that’s old, anything that’s weak,

Anything that’s not tied down tight,

Is gonna blow away!

Those old tricks, old ways,

Cowardly words, weak attitudes,

Straw men beware!

The wind of justice has come to blow you…

Away!