In the Blink of an Eye
She watched him with
curiosity,
wondering when he would
muster the courage
to stand up and say
hello.
Just one little word,
was all she needed;
five letters, a simple –
“Hello.”
Startled, she
took a step back
and froze.
Was this really happening?
Was her waiting
finally over?
Before she could think,
before she could speak,
he was saying his name
and asking for hers.
What should she say?
What could she say?
Her voice had
already gone.
So all that escaped
her dry parchéd mouth,
was a raspy and
ugly old
“Hi.”
But of course that was not,
her actually name,
and her face flushed
furiously red.
She wanted no more
than to run out right then;
she wanted no more
than to die.
But die she did not,
and her voice did return,
and she managed to
tell him her name.
And from that moment on
they were never the same,
for everything had
changed.
Rock Bottom
I had forgotten things
could be this way.
How one moment
life can be grand
and special
and fun
and glorious…
and then the next…
I had forgotten how
it all can change –
how at the
drop of a dime
time can stop
and everything can
change.
How great adventures
can end in disaster,
how daydreams
can turn into nightmares,
how harmless exploring
can get yourself lost –
and I am
most certainly
lost.
I am lost because
I knew it all.
I am lost because
I could not fall.
At least,
I thought
I knew it all,
and now
I know that
I can fall.
The only problem
now is that
I’m not able to
get up.
It’s depressing,
I know,
but such is
my lot.
I have fallen and I
cannot get up.
Triumph
I will not be intimidated by you.
I will not back down.
I will never give up.
You will
never
own
me.
You can try though.
You can try
to chain me up.
You can try
to break me down.
You can try
to smother me
with guilt
with fear,
with shame,
but hear
my words
as I tell you right now
that you
will never
ever
win.
For I’ve been made
free,
perfected by
Grace,
and none of you
hatred
or malice
orthreats
or spite,
will ever prevail.
It’s a hopeless fight!
I have already won.
You’re sick reign of terror
has been made undone.
Through Him, I am
more than a
conqueror,
and I
have more than
conquered
you.
The Calling
Close your eyes,
open your ears,
open your heart,
and listen.
Quietly.
Intently.
Secretly.
Listen.
Hear the noise that
moves through silence,
but listen for the
hidden cries
of the voices that are
too fearful to speak,
of the voices that are
not strong, but weak.
Help them.
Lift them up
with prayer and song,
lift them up
and help them along.
They need you more
then you’ll ever know.
They need you to help them
flourish and grow.
So nourish their hearts
and uplift their souls,
and tell them that God,
will ne’er let them go.
For they are the chosen,
they are the ones.
Can you hear them
calling?
Wisdom and Death
Wisdom.
The Maiden of Light.
Long did she court me,
beckoning me
to follow her ways,
to hear her voice,
to heed her instruction.
Long did she wait
for me to listen,
to bend my ear,
to understand
and learn.
But I was a fool,
and I believed I was
already wise.
And so I ignored her.
I stopped up my ears
and blocked out her voice,
and filled my mind
with the words of another.
And in my resistance to
Wisdom, another came forth,
creeping from the shadows.
Death was her name,
The Mistress of Night,
enticing me with
grandeur and glory…
and I fell.
I turned my back on Wisdom,
I walked away from Light,
and in the darkness,
I courted Death.
Having abandoned the Truth,
I fell into chaos, and
I relished in my filth,
I played and danced with fire,
I sang with drunken lust,
my cup filled with desire;
in the void, I drank of Death,
her nectar bittersweet.
I fooled myself that she was mine,
but I was hers to keep.
I lived as such for a time,
and for a time I thought
I had found peace…
But peace cannot live where
chaos dwells,
nor can Light exist
where Death is Queen,
and I was surely dead.
She snared my soul
when I was young,
and now my life
is over.
A hollow shell
I have become,
unable to even feel.
Nor can I see sweet
Wisdom’s Light,
for Death has
blinded me.
So heed these words,
my precious son,
even if they are not wise;
do not forsake
sweet Wisdom’s call,
and be careful not to fall
for the song of Death –
hold fast and strong,
and stay within
the Light.
Broken Down
He stared at the blank page,
bristling with frustration,
yet frozen with fright,
at the unspoken words
he wanted to write.
Should he whisper his secrets
and disclose his thoughts?
Confess all his feelings
and failings and flaws?
Should he dare to be open
and let down his guard;
to break down the walls
that surrounded his heart
and reveal who he was,
each worn, broken part?
He sighed and wept silently
as the fear cleaved his mind;
the fear of rejection
if someone might find
the words on the page
that his pen could not write.
Can a pen and a page
release you from hell?
Or is silence the curse of the
dead and the damned?
And cursed he was,
yes, cursed indeed;
cursed to live with his
burden of guilt,
the guilt of his past
and the fruits of his sins.
A pen and a page
could not even begin
to write out the story of
of all he had done.
And yet…
He could not shake
the feeling
that he needed to write.
That he needed to write
to right his wrongs;
to let his soul just
sing its songs
of grief and mourning
over what he had done,
to let the pain just
finally be gone.
Cracking his knuckles,
he picked up his pen,
and started to write those
songs of his soul.
To write so that
someday he might
feel whole.
To write and just
be free of it all.
Free from the pain.
Free from the shame.
And with each letter
his chains
let go…
Now
I am finally
free
Woven Anew
Once I was lost in the noise of this world,
suff’ring a life filled with pain,
until You uplifted my heart and my soul,
and broke off my shackles and chains.
Woven anew with the threads of Your Grace,
You stitched up what was torn apart;
Filled with compassion and mercy and love,
Your Hands held me close to Your Heart.
I am now free from my grief and despair,
from the curse and the pain of my sin;
Quickened to life by Your Spirit of Peace;
By grace, I have been born again.
Lord, Shelter my soul and safeguard my heart
from the toils and cares of each day.
Hold to my hand and strengthen my step
to walk in Your Holy Way.
This Heart
Once I was lost
in an ocean of fear,
sinking with grief and despair;
I tried to climb out,
I tried to find rest,
but solace eluded my heart.
Languid Love
What love, my Love,
is this that possesses
my heart, this heart,
that swore ne’er to
love thee again?
Trials to Blessings
It is absolutely amazing to me to see God move through your life. He can take a terrible situation – a situation where you feel as if you’ve sunk to your lowest point, where you feel that no one understands what you’re going through or experiencing – and turn it into an unfathomable opportunity for blessing beyond measure.
In Memoriam
Today we honor those
who have gone out of their way
to defend our rights and liberty,
that we might live today
with Freedom ringing
across the skies.
Sweet Freedom’s song
they let none despise,
for they are her shield
against the cruel;
without their might,
Terror would rule.
Welcome Back!
Hello friends!
I just wanted to take a moment to type up a few words about a very dear friend of mine. She is a blogger, like all of you – and I daresay she’s one of the finest – but life knocked her down and kicked her hard, thus she has been absent from the blogosphere for the last few months.
I say “has been,” though, because she is now back.
Let Me In
Why won’t you let me in?
Why are you shouldering
this life all alone?
Do you not see
that I love you?
Do you not see
that I want to be
there for you?
Somewhere We Stumbled
Drowning, my heart is
flooded with tears
as memories come of
all those great years
we spent with each other,
together, a team
that could conquer it all –
but not all, it seems.
Do You Remember?
I miss you.
I miss the times we used to sit
huddled together, side-by-side,
imagining
all the things that we would do,
all the places we would go;
we promised ourselves,
you and I.
Do you remember?
I miss you.
Labor of Love
“C’mon, honey, we’re almost there!” Panic cracked in his voice as he tried to stay calm. “You can do it, Love – just hold on!” Her nails dug into his hand as her fingers curled with pain, but still he held on tight.
An unearthly scream pierced the room, vibrating the thatched roof above their heads.
In Remembrance
I remember your smile,
your bright, beaming smile,
when I would walk in late to church.
You would turn your head
and gasp – surprised!
A smile of joy on your face.
Hurting Souls
A few years back, a close friend of the family was killed in a car accident, and it deeply affected everyone – myself included. Though I didn’t dwell on it at the time, I’ve come to realize that I learned a lot from that experience. I learned about unexpected loss and tragedy. I learned about the fragility and fleetingness of life. And I learned about what it meant to be there for others, and to have others be there for you.
But mostly I learned that, no matter what, God is Lord over all, that all things work together for His glory, and that He is a refuge for the broken.
I wrote this poem those few years ago, but I don’t think I realized the depth and the truth of it until looking upon it now.
~*~
Where Has It All Gone?!
So, yesterday was a fairly normal day for me. I got up, ran some errands, whipped up an outline for a speech I have to give next Tuesday, and then headed off to work.
I walked into the building, clocked in, and started off to go do whatever it is that I needed to do, as I always do, when my boss suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Resistance is Futile
Change.
What is it about change that makes us so afraid of it? Perhaps it’s the idea of things no longer being the same, or easy, that scares us. Perhaps it requires us to “get out of our comfort zones,” which is always such a pain. Perhaps it’s because we hate sudden surprises, or at least surprises we’re not happy to receive; so many changes come in the guise of surprise.
But you know what’s funny? We are always changing.
