The Line in the Sand

No destiny
No legacies
No fate that beckons us
We exist here
And draw the line
Rising up there is only this
That we agree that whatever
There is before us
We embrace it
For there is no turning back
No regression
No living in the past
Or longing for a different path
We have only each other
And your voice allows me
To find courage
To rise after I fall
You are my hope
There is only now
There is only you
There is only this call
I am yours without reservation
You own my soul
Pierce my being
Through my ear
Bring the awl
Punch it through
Let me be redeemed
Heaven awaits
I hope it is waiting
But for now
We have only this
Existence is proof
I need your help
I promise my hope
I refuse to fail
Because I am the author
Of my own life
There is no fate
Only to serve your will
Yours alone
Velle est posse

Inside I am aware

Too much going on
Too little going in
Too far from home
Standing alone
Hope is still alive
But strength is gone
Undone
By love for another
And left behind
For the wolves
I rise
But there is so little time
To get back
To my sanctuary
Of my mind

Arms Wide

I reach my arms out
Spread out wide
To embrace eternity
Without doubts
There is hope inside
In being redeemed
Salt water trickles down
My ears tear
But not for sorrow
But the joy of knowing
There is more
Than this world has given
Beyond this decay
Beyond this tragedy
There is being forgiven
And having more
Than this world gives

United

We are of different beliefs
We follow different rules
We have no common blood
No common dream
Our definitions are different
Of what is cruel
We are not the same kin
Despite our desire
To be so
Divided by differences
Divided by ideals
What makes us one
Is neither dreams nor fears
Neither pain nor pleasure
But the need to survive
As the others
Fight over the world's treasures
Because
The end of this world
Has already begun

Give me hope, Or I will die

I am composed
Of clay
God's image molded
In my spirit
God's hand creates
The soul within my mass
I am alone
Inside the world around me
I am not of this tribe
Nor species
Nor kin
I am alone above all
Nothing but hope inside
For without it
I would die
And the spark would fade
Destiny be damned
There is no fate
But to live
And then
But to die

Into Graylands

I’ve wandered and I’ve spun my thread
To the end of its length
I’ve searched forever
To solve this wretched torment
And I’ve slept
For I need rest
The graylands are quiet
Forbidding strangers venture
The walls are tall
And the watchers are silent
Waiting for answers
That won’t come in sleep
For emotion is a dream
Revealing our fears
Revealing the fragility
Of our soul
In passion we thrive
But it is dust and toil
Despite our lust
To know
To be in middle
And be able to choose
To know what is false
To know the truth
In the midst of turmoil
You can feel the twist
Of a dagger
In your back
In the mist of anger
Hate prevails
Regardless of danger
Of wounds
And friendly fire
Between friends
And their motives
And strangers
And their unknown ends
Of lovers and love
Of perfumed lust
And unholy desire
I fall down waiting
For the final strike
The final blow
I beg for my being
To be free
From the flesh’s control
I long to be redeemed
From the bonds
That hold
I long to be free
For there is more than me
More than what I can see
I long to taste it in my heart
My flesh cries out
Let me be released
Let it be begun
For there are no answers
Bound here in my flesh
My spirit longs to dance
In the graylands
With my love

From Spark to Flame

To love you
My heart must risk
My soul must brace
To be forbidden
To embrace
Your being
I long for you
I long to taste
My soul begins to weary
From the pursuit
But from hope
I continue
For your form
Is grace
For your lips
Divine
Your face
Is proof
Of perfection
As the taste of
The finest wine
As the scent of
Perfect perfumes
I long to be
In your embrace
Within your
Private rooms
Of your secret garden
Of your gentle whims
Of your fire
Of your scent
To taste of your soul
In my mouth
And being
I cannot relent
In this chase

Kneeling before you

Let me breathe anew so that there is only you
Inside my chest, let me catch the scent
of your perfume
I long to be in your presence,
to be in your sway
I long to be your treasured,
I long to be so far from here
So far away, with you
You are the light in my eyes
And will never flicker
I am alone without you near
Within a crowd of a thousand people
without you, it is quiet
In my heart without you here
I am desolate
You completed me
Upon the day
And though
I fail, am the perfect flaw
My heart remains
Holding you
You are all
I long for
And without you
I fail
Burning within
I fall upon my knees
Pray to breathe
Exhale the toxins
Inhale you
Exhale my sins
Let your will prevail
In my heart
Upon my knees
I wait for you

Let me be an offering to you

To move amongst the stars
To fly in the sky of clouds
To dream when awake
To reach far away
To do more
Than what is allowed
To be for being’s sake
I long to be renewed
Gently pray
To find the truth
Let me be a flame
Let me be consumed
Upon an altar to you
Let my ash and scent lift high
Let me be an incense
A beautiful perfume
That brings you joy
That allows me hope
That makes you love anew
That this world can live
Apart from strife
Be redeemed
Be birthed entirely through
The sacrifice of my life
To be an offering to you

FIRE OVER EGYPT

They remember the greatness
They are an ancient people
Along River Nile a great empire
But in modernity
Living in captivity
Under a dictator’s power
They will rise
For they must
Throw off the chains
Of a single leader’s lust
To have complete control
Egypt will rise
They will overcome
They will be whole
Awakened
By the air of revolution
Discontented
With the glacial progress
And promised evolution
Egypt will rise
The people are one
The people are one
And this uprising
Is evidence
Of ascension
Of the highest goals
To be free
Egypt will rise
The revolution
Is begun

LA FEMME AVEC UNE BELLE VOIX

A voice, so quiet
So pure
Nearly imperceivable
But moving to my soul
Called to me
From the darkness
Shaking me
Warming me from the cold
Making me
Aware
Awake
From life’s killing toll
She beckoned me
She called my name
She asked for nothing
But simply gave
In her voice
So much peace
So much hope
So much love I knew
I would be redeemed
Of my life
Of my miseries
For her voice was truth
Her promise was proof
I stood upon holy ground
When she spoke
I have never heard
Such beauty
In a single sound

She Gave Thanks

He didn’t hear a word
He never heard the jury
Say the phrase Not guilty
All he heard was
His mama screaming
Oh praise the Lord!
Her tears and prayers
Had worked
And he met her eyes
Tears streaming down
Was he innocent?
No Lord, no
But he wasn’t guilty
Of what they had said
And blamed him for
But his mama knew better
She knew he’d rather be dead
Than lie to his mama
About something so big
As taking the chastity
Of a white woman
On a cold Friday night
Against her will
He’d done things
He’d regretted
But he never did
Those things
They blamed him for
That made his mama’s soul
Sing to the heavens
To praise, to beseech
She knew
God would answer the prayers
Of a righteous woman
A widow
Knocking on the justice’s door
Again and again
Until he saw her heart
So broken by the wrong
Because she knew her son
Knew his heart was good
And knew she had to be strong
Because the ways of justice
Sometimes are tangled
And can take so long
Praise the Lord she said
I have my son back
Thank you God

Blessed by Him

I used to think I would die
Consumed by fire
Or hanging by my own whim
I had no desire to live
I was crushed by my own sin
But then I had a son
Who made me hope again
Who washed my tears away
Who gave me the light of day
When all I had was night
I am told I shouldn’t seek salvation
In the being of another person
But I didn’t seek a thing
I was blessed
And it was by him

He Paid For Wanting Freedom

Ravens stood upon the cross bar
As others circled above
A slave who’d led revolt
Was crucified as a message
To others who’d see
And know
That their lives
Were only worth
What their masters had paid
No matter what they’d paid
Whatever the talents
Whatever the dreams
A slave was property
And could not be allowed
To become independent
To become proud
And however many
Would have to be slain
Slaves had no value, except up front
When the auction ended
And money changed hands
The slave was bound
By law
By the code
To obey
Or die
As the tortured soul
Upon the cross knew
Surrounded by ravens
He’d paid the toll
For desiring freedom
And hope
For a future
Instead of being
Controlled

THE MESSENGER

Across a billion galaxies
And countless stars the warrior runs
For the wall approaches, the eater of all
The end is begun with epic blackness
Where nothing exists, where nothing resists
The wall is impenetrably void
And only one is aware and he runs
With the message to the worlds
Standing in the path of the end
For when the yarn is unspun
The worlds are undone
However many stand to die
The warrior is crying for the worlds
That have been lost to the wall
Darkness
Ever encroaching, so very near
The warrior cries but refuses to stop
For the message needs to be shared
To any who might hear

Hope is Gossamer Thin

I was with you in the abyss
When you fought demon hordes
I was with you in the midst
Of the celestial wars
And you slept to recover
I was there too
Distant yes
But still your lover
From the start
I spoke your name
But you simply heard words
Before you woke
From the deepest sleep
I swam in the oceans of your dreams
I lingered in the echoes of your heart
I saw the hope so far off
The broken shell
That held you tight
Opened now and shattered
From the light
You screamed silently
For someone to help
And opened your eyes
Reluctantly
Quietly
From your hell
Your life begins
As mine ends
At the edge of darkness
Where the light is faint
And your heart mends
The ones who dance in the distance
Who charm you and desire your fall
Are reasons enough to go on
For hope is ethereal
Hope is gossamer thin
But beauty is more
Than some desire within
It is real
It exists
To offer you hope
So go on and live
While it is my turn
To enter the mist
Of the gray lands
Of sleep

I am unable

How am I supposed to lead my son to wisdom
When I am flawed to my very core
How am I supposed to teach and live in peace
When the world wages war
Who is able to rise above
When this world is broken
Who is the one, who will reach out in love
With love so flowing
Because it isn’t me
I am emptied of everything
It isn’t me and won’t be me
Despite my love for him
We have a green and blue planet
Polluted to be grey
We have a wonderful place to live
That we’ve filled with hate
I want him to be different
Than me or anyone
But how can I teach him
When all I believe comes undone
There is no blame in me
I am not pointing fingers in rage
I am simply asking
Who knows the way
I don’t know the way
No one knows the way
He was born into a generation
Innocent of our crimes
But they were swimming
In the dangerous tides
In another generation’s moral debt
From the wages of our culture wars
And terroristic threats
Building and killing
Taking without giving
How can we lead anyone
When you or he
Can see how we are living