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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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?
I believe in God the Father Almighty, but if he’s almighty, why doesn’t he stop crime, hunger, murder, rape, theft, abuse, neglect, war?
Maker of heaven and Earth, but why did God make the world? Was he lonely? Was it a mistake? If not, why the flood?
And in Jesus Christ, his son, our Lord, even though Jesus never directly proclaimed to be the Son of God,
Conceived by the Holy Spirit, but how does that happen?
Born of the Virgin Mary, ???
Suffered under Pontius Pilate, yep, sadly,
Crucified, dead and buried, again, sadly,
In three days he rose from the dead, but the witnesses weren’t recorded until long after, and by people other than the witnesses,
He ascended into heaven, ???
And sits at the right hand of God the father almighty, no witnesses for this, of course.
From there he shall come to judge the living and the dead, sooner or later, at the end of time.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, some evidence like evidence of the wind. You can’t see it, but you can see it’s effects.
The holy universal church,the church is holy, but not due to its own state, actions or deeds, but by Jesus saving grace, boasting nothing but God’s grace and mercy.
The communion of saints, this happens every Sunday, does it not?
The forgiveness of sins, we trust and hope this happens,
The resurrection of the body, simply a matter of faith, not science, which is okay.
And the life everlasting, we can only hope.
Our Father, the best father imaginable, and if not imaginable, the best Mother, or Brother, or Sister, or Friend;
Who art in Heaven, that place that isn’t a place, the perfect state of being, of existing, of living; that paradise of another dimension;
Hallowed be thy name, holy, righteous, special, divine, separate, perfect, lovely, beautiful, worthy of worship by all, Daddy, Momma, Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, Aunt, Friend, Confidante;
Thy Kingdom come, a world where God’s love and holiness is the guiding principle for all, an experience of grace that exists right now, anytime, is accessible to all, no matter where they live or what state their life is in;
Thy Will be done, a state of purpose that comes only from God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit; A goal that has already been achieved on the Cross, by paying the sacrificial debt for the sins of the world, from the beginning to the end of time; The perfect obedience and righteous existence that comes from God’s gift to humanity;
On earth, as it is in heaven, can you imagine everyone on the earth following God’s will? Can you imagine anyone obeying 100% of the time? Well, it happens sometimes, which is a miracle in itself;
Give us this day our daily bread, give us physical, emotional and spiritual sustenance , whatever is necessary to do God’s will, God provides it, and all we have to do is ask;
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, grace that only God can give to pardon us from our shortcomings, provided we are as charitable with those who hurt us, loving our neighbor as well as even our enemy;
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, God protects us from so much temptation that we could not handle. And when we need deliverance, he’s right there to save us;
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, all goodness and great things belong to God. They are only possible with his grace and power;
Forever and ever, from the beginning of time to the end end of time, god with his grace, power and love exist and are provided to those who ask.
Amen, all this is true.
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.
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.
Stumbling along the sidewalk 