Saturday, November 12, 2011

Dear God

Dear God,

Our people suffer
They cry out
Lamenting their lives

I will not shrink
I will not falter
In prayer nor praise



I beseech you father
Give us strength
A glimpse of hope

A vision that we
Might survive this difficult time
A sign that we may endure

I have been unworthy
Cleaned only by the sacrifice on Golgotha
But, here I kneel none the less

Imperfect, impure, yet unashamed
I am brought to you
I have been redeemed

As such I use my authority
I call upon you to honor that covenant
Given to Eve so long ago

I am your child
I am brash
I am bold

Father please
A measure of your mercy
A legion; no, an army I ask

The liar temps your people
The scourge of man upon us
Now, NOW you are needed

Sweep away these foolish illusions
Expose the impostor
Open the eyes of the blind

Dear God,
I am just a man
Envied by Angels and Demons

I stand
I STAND
I SHALL NOT FALL

I SHALL NOT FALTER
Stand with me
Stand for me

Dear God


Thursday, September 29, 2011

Making Me Stronger

I want to take a minute to thank
Some very special people for making me stronger

To the school yard bully
Who stole money from me
Made me afraid to come to school
Thank you
Today I am a warrior
I do not fear you or any man

To the cut up in class
Who saw me as a target
Tried to exploit my vulnerability
Thank you
Today my words are tools
I have learned to use them well

To the teacher
Who chose to ignore my potential
Relegated me to C level
Thank you
Today I expose false authority
I have learned to help others excel

To the animal
That took from me my innocence
Forced on me a terrible, secret burden
Thank you
Today I help remove filth from our streets
I have no shame, no secrets

To those who have wronged me
Lied to me, hurt or maligned me
Thank you
Today I have grown into a man
Unafraid, armored, and righteous


I am a victor, not a victim
I know my strength can help others
I love even my enemies
I have learned what real friends are
I will fight for them and for myself

Thank you all
With out you
I could not be the man I am
I could not have evolved
I might have no reason for pride

We are created by the divine
Tested by adversity
When we discover the "I Am"
We have evolved
True human beings




For those of you who have been my friends and family through it all thank you for being the water that cools and tempers steel.  Special thanks to my best friend, teacher, and peer A.K.A.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

America



I am America
I represent all beliefs
I am the result of injustice and oppression
I am the product of belief in something more

You are America
Your voice can shatter walls
You have freedom of choice and a responsibility to chose
You are the author of your own destiny

We are America
We fight to be better
We are living promise, paid for in blood, tears and sweat
We are hope, desire and limitless potential

We are America
We have a common destiny
We must encourage freedom and liberty for all
We still have a long way to go





"For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required." -- Luke 12:48

Thursday, July 21, 2011

A Prayer of Thanks


Thank you mother
For bearing me in your womb
And fighting to educate me
Loving me, believing in me
I will believe in myself and succeed
That your sacrifice is not in vain

Thank you father
For teaching me
And making me tough
Breaking me down, so that no one else could
I will be strong and protect others
So your honor is not forgotten

Thank you ancestors
For showing me the way
And giving me a rich history
Hard work, faith and sacrifice
I will teach the generations to come
That your legacy shall not pass into shadow

Thank you Lord Jesus
For dying for my sin
And granting me mercy
Bridging the gap between life and death
I will live my faith
So others shall see you in me

Thank you Father God
For giving me life
And shaping me in your image
Bringing forth the divine spark
When they ask who has sent me
I shall say “I Am”




You must do more than say thank you with your lips; you must show it in your life.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Sometimes Alone

I strain my eyes to see
What this world intends
My aspirations, illusions
My friends, sometimes strangers
My love, imagined

I push myself to give
But those gifts lay deserted
My poetry, sand
My song, lost in the wind
My tears, just water

I try to rise above my doubts
And today has been so hard
My soul, exhausted
My head, throbs like a drum
My sadness, sackcloth and ash

I will rise again tomorrow
Despite the fear I will strive
My head, held high
My dreams, persist
My walk, sometimes alone



No matter how low the day has laid me down.  I know that I will get through.  I may stumble, falter, and even fall, but I will rise again and stand on my own two feet.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

A Common Cause









If we look around it is apparent
All our fates are intertwined
My life is bound to touch yours
And others blend with mine

Mankind’s best days ahead of us
So many lessons learned
Incorporate the benefits
That other’s struggles earned

This is the day for hope
To win a lasting peace
By now applying justice
From the greatest to the least

Only when everyone is free
Can we have liberty at all
Honor all their sacrifices
Raise the banner should it fall

Know now you do not stand alone
A billion points of light
Here now stand assembled
To aid you in your fight

We will not stand by idle
Our voice shall never still
Whilst people suffer needlessly
By some oppressors will

Freedom is the right of all
To live as God intends
We stand beside you one and all
Neighbors, family, and friends



It is my belief that only when we are all allowed to live free do any of us have freedom.  If any person's rights are being suppressed then those of every other person are in jeopardy.  We are bound together inexorably.  With communication and technology we are all closer than ever before.  We must respect each other and support one-another.  We must find a balance between the individual and the community.  Most importantly we must encourage freedom, kindness, and tolerance.  

Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Legacy of Golgotha



When we stray
As oft times we do
Love’s guiding light
Is there to lead us through

Given these gifts
Forgiveness, mercy, and grace
A new Law, Love
Death and fear now replaced

Christ came, suffered, died and rose again
Recognize the cost
For all that was gained
That we may never be lost

The legacy of Golgotha
Proof that love conquers all
And through this sacrifice
We can rise after the fall





He is risen!  Rejoice!  The debt is long since paid.  Love, because this is the new law.  Be gracious and forgive, as you wish to be forgiven. 

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Love



The essential emotion
Key to eternity
Unshakable
Undefinable
Unmistakable

How independent and enslaving
The longing, yearning, and craving
Defying Law
Logic
Lust

It's pursuit is often tragic
Creates new rules
Breaks some
Destroys lives
Shapes them

Stealing focus
While lending clarity
Dichotomy
Dulcet
Dilemma

Not known to bow to reason
Death cannot contain it
Words fail to confine
Sweet
Terrible

Love





Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Best of Me

Sitting across the table
Caught in conversation
The object of my deepest love
And of my admiration

She is the very core of me
I will ceaseless seek to earn
Her love for all my life
Though my attention she may spurn

Her intellect and imagination 
Stir Deep inside my heart 
Her skill, her spirit, all of these
Are poetry, beauty and art

She is my best friend
No matter how it all turns out
She can count on my support
Of that there is no doubt

Willing slave I am
Bound for life to serve
Foolish hope I hold
Her love someday deserved

She is the very best of me
My soul, and my desire
All I am is her's
In this I shall not tire






'Nuff Said

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

The Pledge of a Common Man





I am a common man
I love, laugh, work and breathe, all in common ways
I have no political power, no mandate 
I have a common voice, but it shall be strong
I will use that tool in support of common people everywhere 
I will not be silent in the face of injustice
I will not ignore the cries of my brothers and sisters
I will speak on behalf of those with no voice
I am a common man 
I will stand and be counted





To my brothers and sisters world wide, living in what seems like never ending conflict; I recognize that we are oft caught in the gears of the machine.  Guard yourselves, persevere the storm.  For the kings and powers of this world will pass away, and only the common man will remain.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

All Too Much

Sometimes its all too much
Feeling oppressed at work
I want to scream out, cry foul, quit
The vice tightens on my brain
I will not succumb to all of this shit

Sometimes its all too much
Said and did so many stupid things
I hurt her and I don't know why
Thought I was better than this
In the end I still made her cry

Sometimes its all too much
Disproportionate, disappointment, dissolving, diluting
My purpose, sending me to despair
Done. Done Damn it! I wept silently
Mirror reflection there's nobody there

Sometimes its all too much
I long for her, yearn for her
She owns every bit of me
I am nothing she needs nor desires
But I'm better dead than free

Sometimes its all too much
I have to regroup, recoup, revive
Remind myself of the rhythm and the rhyme
Rise.  Rise up man! You can't just give up
This same fucking battle fought many times

Sometimes its all too much
Still they come to my rescue
My angels, my family, my friends
Reminders, encouragement, a slap to the head
I see my good fortune, and the crisis finds an end



We all get overwhelmed.  Stress has many names, causes and symptoms.  We all fall short of the mark from time to time.  I am blessed to have these crazy people I love as friends.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Were I to sing of my love

Were I to sing of my love
The tune could not sound as deep
The melody nowhere as sweet
As the sound of her breath as she sleeps

If I were to speak of her beauty
Resulting words could only fail
Though my honor and my duty
Descriptions devised would seem lifeless and pale

If I were to write her a poem
To express my devotion; though rebuked
I would chance to make my feelings known
The very length of it would span the ocean

Were I to sing of my love
The angles would cry, the flood tides arise
A new world be born, if she’d but let me inside
Then I too could be beautiful



She is all.  That which she loves, I love.  That which she hates, is anathema to me.  Though she may never be my woman, I will always be her man. 

Friday, January 14, 2011

Cry Freedom!














It is said that we were created in God's own image
Sometimes, it seems so hard to believe
Other times a warrior leads us in the scrimmage
Challenging all to overcome and achieve

WE have a dream undying and undaunted
Our hearts and minds must remain resolute
There is still a call to which must be responded
A mission still left that none can refute

My brothers and sister still live full of terror
Their children still hunger and cry in the street
The hero you seek stares back in the mirror
This is not the time to shrink back nor sound a retreat

Lift up your head, your heart and your voice
Shout it loud until Kingdom Come
Now's the time, raise the standard, there's no other choice
Cry Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! FREEDOM!


Dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) and to men and women everywhere who still struggle to live free.





Monday, January 10, 2011

Past Present Future




Memories always look the way we want them to

Good and evil cut and dry with little middle ground

In our minds the fruit is sweeter, the cuts much deeper

The passion hotter and love much truer than any ever known



The present is opportunity, challenge, danger at every turn

Today is the proving ground where iron is forged to steel

Here is where your love swells and your children laugh

Now is the gift of God, the breath of life, more, more than this



Tomorrow is an illusion, a promise with no guarantee

Future is futile, ephemeral, always just out of reach,

Prophesy is a guessing game, a gamble and a dream

Inifinty is a long way off you can only guess what it brings



Remember all of the past because wisdom is it's legacy

Hope and plan for the future though it may never be

But, live today, in every breath and pumping of your heart

It's in this time your memories end and the future gets it's start
 
 
 
 
To say there is no time like the present is an understatment of epic proportions.  There is likely no other time at all...  Use it wisely.