Calmer Now

Sometimes
I just have to vent
But I’m calmer now.
Sometimes
I have to be heard.
Sometimes
I need to be held.
And
In some form,
And
At some time
I’ve had those things.
And the memory of it
Calms me somehow.
I’m grateful for feeling
Calmer now.

Season Of Giving; Season Of Grief

Today was spent thinking
Of others.
But I’ll admit that
I also
Thought of myself
And my own private
Grief
That falls with the snow.

Distant

Recent memory
Stretches into days,
Weeks, months,
And finally a year
Of absence.
Sweet faces
Of trial
Of strength
And of faith
Are now a
Sweet memory
Of an amazing
Time in life -
A passing time.
A need I can no longer
Fill.
But an experience -
Though distant -
That I can
Carry with me.

No Place So Far

No place so far
That I cannot be found
No pit so deep
That I cannot be rescued
No mindset so hopeless
That I cannot rise up
No secret so dark
That I wish it untold.
No place is so far
From love and acceptance
That I can’t be found
And restored once again
There is no place so far
From our Lord’s loving-kindness -
For Him to redeem us
He won’t need to strive.
There’s no place we can hide
Where He cannot find us -
No place so far from His
Marvelous grace.

Consideration

Life’s choices
Must be considered,
Pondered over
And deliberated
With care
And depth of thought.
For if we choose
To plunge recklessly
In one direction
In one moment
Of doubt
Of fear
Or of hopelessness,
We may thereby set a
Course of action
In motion
That
We never intended.
And that is why
It’s so important,
Before we act,
To consider.

What Is

Life is beautiful
When one can turn
Selfish ambition
Into
Selfless love.
Love is powerful
When one can transform
Undue pride
Into
Unmatched humility.
Self is acceptable
When one can transcend
What lies were believed
And
Become the truth you crave.

Breaking Out

I’ve stepped outside myself
At last.
I’m looking beyond my own
Needs,
And fulfilling the unspoken
Needs of others.
Not because I have to
But because I want to.
Because they didn’t ask.
Because they are quiet.
Because they hurt.
Because I hurt.
Because I can do something,
And as long as I can
Do something,
I will.

Heightened Awareness

Heart racing
Body shaking
Terror living
God forgiving
Friend calling
Mask falling
Mercy living
Prayers rising
More to come
But for now
Nothing else is
Needed.

About West Side Story

Feeling touched
By a story,
By a movie,
By a musical.
Watching a piece of culture,
Of history,
Of cinema -
And feeling fulfilled.
That in itself
Is a rarity these days;
Days of quick cuts
Of money,
And of classlessness.
It’s good to know
Shows of quality exist
And that they
Haven’t lost
Their magic.

The Mansion Doesn't Feel Like Mine

It’s not really a mansion
But it feels like one
Compared to the places
I was raised in.
Excess feels foreign
Though I’m no stranger
To indulgence.
Vacation souvenirs
Feel like too much,
When I can recall
Vacations being
Visits to see relatives.
I guess, deep down
I will remain a child
Of necessity, and of
Basic comforts…
And maybe,
Once in a while
Pay a visit to the mansion
That used to be
My home.

This Is A Day

When writing was fruitful.
When I was excited.
When I longed to be somewhere else.
When I was glad to be here.
When I was glad to be.

Overcoming

It feels exhilarating
To move past what I
Once might have
Misconstrued as
Insurmountable,
And achieve something.
Even if that something
Is viewed by others
As insignificant -
To me, it can remain
Significant,
And even if that
Achievement
Is one small step
In a much bigger
Picture.

Indecision

I don’t know
If I have
The ability
To go where I need to
To convey what I want to.
What I thought of as depth
Was really just scratching
The surface of what all
Was really there,
Waiting to be detected.
I want to go there,
Yet I don’t as well,
Because what story I weave
Is also a truth
Buried deep in me.
And times like this
I wish
It would just stay buried.