Destiny

Sweet aroma lifts my mind

Into a twisting, turning kind

Of bliss that knows no end,

Only the oneness of a lover friend.

Where to start, I wonder so.

What to believe, tossed to and fro.

Only a simple wish by a pure heart

Can break the spell of this pixie art.

Follow me, down this path,

To a steaming bubble bath,

She said, softly, pointing into a room,

Lit by candles, smelling of perfume.

I won’t charge you a single penny,

Just sink into this lemon honey.

Taste the succulent, fleshy flower

Of my magic star of power.

Let me see. Oh, where was I?

I can stop, if I only try.

Thinking to myself, for a moment.

I must choose to be reverent.

But how can I pass this perfect plum,

So inviting, saying come get some?

I want to be home, I need a place

To save my last, tearful grace.

Wait a minute. Hum a tune.

You can forget you’re in this room.

Hold your breath. Step outside.

Leap across this carnival ride.

Something wakes you, to pray tell,

Someone sees you start to melt.

Run, you say, to yourself.

All you think is true is hell.

Love won’t enchant you,

Capture you or trap you.

It will set you free

To find your own path to destiny!

Bed of Roses

Leftovers are a let-down.

Picking up the pieces

Of my broken heart.

Left not right,

Caught in the middle.

Ideologies and rumors,

Hearsay and politics.

Wondering what to do,

After it’s all been said and done.

Get out the bread and butter.

Stir up the soup of the day.

Mow the lawn and be happy.

Such an excuse to be gay.

Do you know the secret

To making peace in this time?

Mine is slowly seeping

Into a bed of roses.

Memorial Day

A place to be

Is pleasing when

There is a person

To be with—

Someone strong,

Someone fun,

Someone loving—

Come get some!

In the park,

I toss a ball

With my father;

Spring and summer

Sunny weather

Covers our faces

With warmth and never

Makes us uncomfortable.

So, we go swimming

In the lake.

We ride a boat

Across the water.

We dive in and feel

Refreshed.

Oh, what a day

To be with family.

What a time

To dream dreams,

To enjoy each other’s

Company.

To live in the freedom

Paid in blood

By our forefathers,

And our military

Today.

Please remember

When you drink your beer

And eat your hot dog.

A price was paid.

Why Are We Here?

We’re here to make,

And bake and create.

We’re here to move,

And soothe and groove.

We’re here to love

Everyone.

We’re here to have fun,

To play and run.

We’re here to make

Something out of nothing.

We’re here to create

Meaning.

We’re here to make

A mess.

We’re here to be a mess.

We’re here to be.

The Impossible

Happy go freaky,

Style for a mile.

Ambulance mind,

So fine.

Go fetch your dream,

Get to it!

Place your hands

On the balance beam

Of life expression,

And make your moves.

Chase that vision,

That holy mission,

For you alone.

Never turn back.

No regrets.

Sail on!

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.

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?

Frosting

Smile lack so sad smooth life is not that weep for the end is near the beginning is coming the satisfaction of all will be found on the mountaintop.

Close the door (the end is near) but don’t fear for god is here. Womb shallow river pour out on this congregation of ne’er do wells and corrupt citizenry and ghost town revelers.

So much to leave behind a simple backpack is all I carry a sack with no lunch nothing but a cup to fill with water when I can.

Can you find the ancient ruins beneath the supermarket? The burial ground under the rollercoaster? What’s new? I don’t have a clue.

I like endings. Beginnings, not so much. I like meandering and intoxicating and flurries on a cool night. I like rivers and hills and dead man’s curve.

Do you see the end coming? It’s near, I tell you! Really close but doubt comes closer and I believe in doubt. I like to humor doubters and double crossers and hooligans.

How many doubts does it take to make a faith? How many truths does it take to make a scripture? So many confusing sorts of dreams and all kinds of visions and stalactites and frosting.

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.