Safety, not so safe

Make friends with the truth
As holding on to safety
Is the false story

Friend Shame

Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer
Hiding away in the dense forest I can’t see my hand before my face
But your voice told me you were my friend,
     keeping me safe
And trees pressing in all around so that I couldn’t breathe from the dank musty air
You drew closer and I thought you were my friend,
     keeping me safe

Squeezing in tighter and tighter
Dryness in the mouth and the blood emptying my body were signs that I ignored
Despite these droughts at the time I still thought it was you
     keeping me safe.

Years roll by and the forest is jungle increasing in danger and still you are my companion
I’ve grown so used to you, we fit together and were comfortable and you were,
     keeping me safe.
Slashing our way together in avoidance of harm you introduced me to Numb,
Numb was fun and became my friend who helped me forget about the darkness,
     keeping me safe
And you were so close that I forgot you were there,
     keeping me safe.

But somehow, at the right time, light broke through the canopy.
You tried harder and harder to keep my mind on the jungle
But the light shined upon the both of us
Twisted metastasized synergy of sin and brokenness had reached the center of the jungle…
…and you would have me stay there.
The light revealed you were no friend at all.
You are Wormwood, whispering in my ear, “I will keep you safe.”

“YOU LIAR.”
“You and your friend Numb, can go to hell.”

No Plagiarising Please (A Shared Father/Daughter Exercise)

Once it’s gone you’ll never get it back

            Perhaps another option that we will never lack.

One choice is underground the deeper the better

            Or up on the surface that is wetter than wetter

This is black as coal, we call it Texas tea.

            The other H2O gives life to you and me.

Powering our cars and warming are homes

            Quenching our thirst down to our bones

Burning this fuel make the air bitter

            The other floods the land while drowning the critters

When the oil runs out, we don’t know the hour

We’ll have to make the switch to hydroelectric power

Late Night Latch Key

At the foundation loneliness was laid.
  With lights extinguished and sounds of tick-toc
Though unintentional, a price is paid
  Waiting for love with eyes on the clock

Even today, in the wee dark hours 
    At the time when eyelids should be closed shut
The man still suffers persistent Powers
    His body with love longing to be touched

My late night companions quiet, darkness 
  are joined by uncertainty and friend fear
The desire to be loved constantly with no rest
  Has brought to the eye an arrested tear

Then, were thoughts of weary lamentations
    Today, occasioned by conversations

Saint Gregory's Timepiece

Await the coming of the Holy One
     Anticipate the return of the King
Born forth from the womb comes God's holy Son
    heralding hosts illumined in light. Sing!

Journey the wise men kings by a guiding star
    Distant people from a distant land come.
Clothed in camel and repentance raises the bar
   Sorrowful sinners make the devil dumb.

Shout Hosanna! the babe comes now as king
   The Master revealed as servant of all
Darkest day in history feels death's sting
   God's mighty hand forever sheds the pall

Descending fire lights the tongues of men
   He, crowned in glory repeats all again.

January Haiku

As others complain
about the cold in Houston,
I think on August

Heavy, Heavy

Heavy, Heavy is the great pull downward
upward upward I push against the fall.
And work! the motivator drives onward
struggling, I cannot resist the call

Succumb to rest and darkness is pleasure
Hovering over desk and clacking keys
To proneness, to relax, be at leisure.
My mind and body the rest comes to please.

Fingers are poised press onward to writing
but failing and sluggish are the scribe's hands
the innocent sheet receives the striking
when body surrenders to the sandman.

The pleasant fit as the top closes down.
And eyelids fall heavy upon the ground.