The Leavetaking

The older leave,
The younger take over,
We must not grieve,
As they disappear behind the shrouded clover,
They pass on the mantle,
As they are freed,
Many doubt we can handle,
We just aren’t made from the same breed,
They seem so happy and carefree,
They pass through the door,
They hand us the key,
These past years seem like such a war,
The changing of the guard,
As the elders go galloping to greener gables,
As flowers blossom in the yard,
The school will be full of sullen; silent tables,
Old friends pass through,
New friends are looking for guidance,
Yet we are still tangled up in the murky blue,
And our distorted defiance,
Yet the ships set sail on the morrow,
And the farewells have already begun,
So our hearts are filled with sorrow,
As their masts disappear behind the sun....

The Beloved Miracle

I don’t thank you; as I should,
All my prayers up to this point seem so hollow; as if wood,
I want to feel your love constantly cascading,
I’m in the right pool, but I’m still just wading,
Your love is water to my parched heart,
Your love I know will never depart,
You cover me with mercy,
Even when my thoughts aren’t on you with the right fervency,
So I will praise your name on high,
“Till the day I die,
For you give me a willing spirit,
On my soul your mark has been writ,
I’ve grown in the last year,
I’m letting go of all my fear,
Tomorrow I pray that you give me strength,
That I may strive through the whole school’s length,
Without you love and kindness I would be running,
But instead I can feel my healing coming,
Under your banner of white,
Gaining disciples and might,
The enemy will surely be trampled,
All his malicious plans dismantled,
And I will praise you in my prayers,
Send me more souls to be taken into my cares,
I don’t care about the world,
Send me to those who are hiding and curled,
Let me be your bundle of joy,
I am your little glad-iator to deploy,
So I’m still smiling,
While Satan’s minions are still defiling,
And I pray for all the wayward and lost,
I smile as I see all the bridges I have yet to cross,
One brick at a time,
Turning water into wine,
They will see your miracle,
Your loving poetry is vibrant and lyrical,
All the dead and dying in me you have rubbed,
And I am forever your humble Beloved....

Stain Glass Mass

We think we are baptized and renewed,
Yet our perception is so skewed,
We think we know all the answers,
But really we just find new cancers,
Many search for the truth,
But even the wise are spiritual youth,
We have this idea of rigid rhythm,
So much so that we got lost in this futile schism,
Our so-called differences have set our brothers apart,
We have lost touch with our mind; with our heart,
Saying we are walking the righteous path,
Lost in our delusions of this ethereal math,
We see what we want to see,
Never really seeing the full fee,
We have no idea what we really believe,
So we cling to false hope and grieve,
We can’t see past ourselves,
Can’t see where the kingdom of heaven dwells,
We muddle through this life,
Until we fall under someone’s knife,
We settle with complacency and murky sages,
When really the equations are so simple on destiny’s pages,
So we look; we search,
We then lock ourselves in this denominational church,
Where love is chained and oppressed,
Where our restless hearts never truly rest,
Where the wise men tell us exactly who they think Yahweh was,
Yet all we hear is this babbling buzz,
Then they argue with one another,
And the foundations they built are torn asunder,
Disillusionment seeps through the once revelatory walls,
Everybody tries to see where their going while ignoring the others’ calls,
And they have to find their way alone,
Because all their friends and support are now blown,
And we doubt our faith,
The angels now just seem like faint wraiths,
If the wise can’t even see your love,
Then how can serenity fill this troubled dove?

Litany of Epiphany

It’s something that comes upon you suddenly. Without warning, the thought dawns on you. The epiphany explodes out of your dormant consciousness. A random flame of empowerment and faith emerges from the murky sea of old wounds and self-doubt. You’ve been doing things wrong all these years.
Before this you were waiting for something. Something to appear as you turned every corner. Someone waiting for you to caress you amidst your troubles and your trials. You were sitting there all your life; wishing it could be better. Praying that things had been different. Wishing that you were better than you were. Smarter than you were. More eloquent than you were. Less hopeless than you were. You’ve gone through your life like a blind bird flying through the darkness and the shadows. You’ve been bashing against the walls, trying to break out of your “cage”. You’ve cried to the heavens, you’ve tried to reach out to other people, and nobody seemed to hear or even care. You started going through life with a chip on your shoulder, bitter, silent, dead. You seemed to accept your lot in life, hoping...wishing.... that it would your life would improve on its own, that things will one day...eventually...work out. You tried to convince yourself into thinking that it was self-imposed seclusion, but you couldn’t hide from yourself for long. You then became an empty shell, embittered with the world, wanting to end all your pain...wanting to end all your sorrow. You shrank away from people. You secluded yourself from contact with others. You conformed to non-conformity. You had hit the bottom. You got so low and so angry that you could not have conceivably gotten any lower. You felt you could do nothing to change your life, could not fix your situation, and you just gave up.
Then, through your disillusionment, through your anger, hope ignited. Hope, that undeniably vibrant emotion. Hope, that quality that is the very core of our humanity. You finally realized...that.... maybe.... just maybe.... you can improve your life.... improve yourself.
You realize that even if you couldn’t help what has happened to you in the past...you can help what happens to you in your future. You see that life may not be fair...but at least its not over. You have the power of choice. You have the power to rebel against your oppressor.... rebel against yourself. You have the power to say your sorry for what you’ve done. You can’t understand how it has taken you this long. You know you have to learn the lyrics to a different song. You understand...finally.... that you can become stronger, become better than who you are. You can change. It doesn’t matter if things may not totally work out exactly the way you planned.... but it doesn’t matter... because at least you tried. The people around you may not react positively to the new you... but you don’t care anymore. They have no power over you. You are you.... you know who you are. The light has flooded into your once dark room.... and you have hope, love, faith.... and serenity...again. You may be battered.... you may become battered.... without a doubt you will get battered.... even more battered than now...but you know you can get through it. You’ve seen it among the tales and stories of mythic heroes that have inspired you all your life. Well.... now it’s your turn to be the hero. You’ve been hiding in the dark...in the shadows too long.
Let the world know who you are. Let the world see the truth. Let the world see the light burning in your beautiful eyes. And yes, they are beautiful, because they are yours. You have the power to overcome this hurdle, whatever it may be. If they laugh, let them laugh. You will grow and mature, and they will stay wallowing in their hog slop. You will become who you were born to be. So fight back. Weather this futile attack. And don’t worry.... you won’t be alone in your daily struggle. So, pick up your sword, and strum the triumphant chord....