'Healing' Video

A man is praying.

And

Really

What's so wrong

With that?

Well, nothing.

Unless you look

Closer.

Unless you see

That the woman

Being prayed for

Is

Being prayed for

In the women's section

Of a department store.

Unless you see

How her hand covers her 

Neck, and does not move.

Guarding the 

Intense

Vulnerability

I know she feels.

Unless you notice

How the man

Never calls her 

By any name - 

Almost like

She isn't human.

She protests:

"I can't walk.  

This is just 

How I am."

And he screams at her:

"GET UP."

I am thrown back

Through time.

The man's hands

Change.

They take my crutches

And set them down

Away from me.

He paces with me.

He tries

To let

Go 

Of 

Me.

Time drags.

It feels like twenty minutes

(Twenty minutes too damn long.)

He never asked my name.

He just blamed

What didn't happen next

On me.

That's why I don't

Need to see

Videos of a man

Screaming at a woman.

Heedless of her discomfort

Of her very humanity

Of her dignity.

Because in the end

It's always about those

Who push themselves

On those of us

Who their acts

Harm 

Far more than

A disability

Ever 

Could.

Choosing To Believe

I choose to believe

It's not like they say.

That we can all enter -

That we're all the same.

There is right and wrong

But not right and wrong people

What place does that have

In a church, 'neath a steeple?

The point is not judging

But acceptance, you see.

Not to see only flaws -

Not to love by degrees.

So, when our days are over

And our work is through

Don't listen to them...

You can come in, too.

What To Do With Resentment

Do not wrestle
With resentment
Instead
Ask
And sit
And let
God
Take it.

Essence

I feel lost
And lonely
In the wake
Of today.
In the wake
Of the words
I read.
In the wake
Of how they
Came so swiftly
As if they
Were written
Solely for me.
But that is
Not the case.
We all
Remember
Our mistakes.
But we should
Remember
Our victories
Too,
Because they
Are more
Valuable
To us
And those
Around us
And they
Will leave
A positive
Essence
In our wake
When we are
Someday
Gone.

Take Deep Breaths

Take deep breaths
And write this out
And don't be scared
Because...
I can't control it
Anyway
So why should I be
Afraid?
Put my faith in
This and believe
It all will be
Okay.

Safe

This is what I dread:
A sweeping wind,
A destroyer of everything
I could ever call mine.
This is what I dream of
When I remember:
A terrible sense of
Being out of control,
Losing the ground beneath me
A siren so loud inside me.
So now, somehow,
These two have merged.
They are connected inside me:
This fear of losing
And
My dreams.
In these moments,
When I am afraid
Of the sounds and
The loss
And of being
Out of control,
I remember.
I know that even though
Circumstances may look
Or be
Scary and loud,
And even though
I cannot control them,
Someone else is in control.
Someone else I can always trust.
Someone who tells the wind
Where to go.
Someone who knows
The fear I carry
Over the people I
Almost lost.
He knows.
And He is in control.
And with Him
I am always
Safe.

Very Fine Valentine's

What makes
A day
Happy
Depends
Very much
On various
Factors.
Like varied
Opinion
Or a
Very fine
Caffeinated
Beverage
Or a
Very sweet
Phone call
Or a
Very grand
Visit
From a
Very special
Person
Or
Just knowing
Your God is
A very
Present help
In times
Of trouble

New Life

Today,
I celebrate.
Today,
I am sad.
Today,
I am confused.
Today,
I am grieving.
Yet today,
I am hopeful.
So today,
I am free.

Layers

Disappointment
Sadness
And joy
All come
Together
Today
At
Different
Times
In different
Waves.
Sometimes
They come
On different
Days
And sometimes
They come
All at once.

Outlook Tonight

Sometimes,
Without warning,
My heart
Feels
So full.
Sometimes,
Without knowing
How things
Might
Get better -
They do.

Sincerely

I know what I write
And I write what I know
And I don't see the point
In pretending.
I know what I see
And I see what to show
I don't see the point
In never mending.
I see the world
But just from my window
I don't see the point
In asking what's missing.
I see myself
And right now I know
I don't see the point
In pretending.

Take Heart

Who's to say
What really happened
When no one
Really
Knows what happened?
Who's to say
This is the truth
When the whole
Truth
Just is not known?
Who's to say
It's wrong to question
As we all
Have second thoughts?
Who's to say
There's not a lesson
In the truth
That has been lost?

Works of Art

We've come this far
All masterpieces
With pieces of us
To work on and with.
So don't forget
That you are art,
Admired and inspiring.
But remember
There is more to do -
The Artist's
Never tiring.

White Noise

Time for thinking
Time for truth
Time for learning
What's the use
If all opinions
Are the same
Not opening
Our minds again?
What are we
To gain from this?
Refrain from this
This boxing in
This limitation
Closing in -
And know
It is okay
To look beyond
Borders -
Looking for change
Outside
Dimes and
Quarters.

On Baited Breath

Once upon
An evening still
I sit and wonder,
Wait and see
If you will
Make your presence
Known or not -
Run away
Or hit the spot
Right where I
Need you -
Need this -
See this?
This is
Me. So
Stay or leave
If you please,
And know I
Am not
Changing.

Questions

Where can I go
With this
Complication?
When can I
Accept
It's all for
The best?
When can I
Just sit and
Count
My blessings
And not
Worry what
Else I might
Come against?

Coming To Terms

Can I hide
Inside myself
Or make myself
Be seen?
Can I be
Just who I am
And not
Who you believe?
Can I change
And should I have to
Just to be
The same?
Can you see
The truth in me
And know I'm not
To blame?

Hattie

What can I say
To you
That might
Ease your pain
And take it away?
I want to do so
Much
But there's not much
I can do.
So I'll pray for you
And hope you
Can feel them -
And the love
Behind them.

How Did This...

How did my life
Become this
Confusing,
In a matter of
Days,
And with
Just one thing?
It is not
Going smoothly
But I pray
It will calm
And that people
Will see
Me
For me.

Who I Am

It feels nice
And confusing
And satisfying
To be who I am
Tonight.
To have family
Who loves me
Regardless
Makes
The unbearable
So much
Easier
For me to
Bear.