Monday, May 31, 2010

Crawling Inside Someone Else's Shoes





To know what bravery means we must crawl inside the shaking knees of a soldier standing behind enemy lines, that has no choice but to face what he has feared.

To know what prejudice means we must crawl inside the closed eyes of someone who cannot see beyond the wall of hate they have themselves built

To know what trust means we must crawl inside the open arms of a child that holds on to their faith in the unseen with all the might they have.

To know what grief means we must crawl inside the heavy tears of a mother that cries when faced with children at joyous play, for she is only reminded of the child she has lost.

To know what love means we must crawl inside the full heart of a person who has lost everything for the sake of someone else, and done it gladly.

To know what strength means we must crawl inside the still back of a paralyzed man who has learned to accept his frailties.

To know what loneliness means we must crawl inside the weary voice of an old woman whose words are only silenced by her own ears.

To know what mercy means we must crawl inside the mighty hands of God after we have let Him go.

Friday, May 28, 2010

What a Seagull Never Told You




What a seagull never told you about why he flies away is the farther up you fly the broader the view you get of the shore you left behind.

What a wild horse never told you is some chained up fences can be jumped.

What a river never told you is getting off the flowing path may mean your whole world may pass you right by.

What a pine tree never told you is those that stand together never fall alone.

What a valley never told you is that sometimes the safest place to wait out the storm is right where you are.

What a sunset never told you is if you leave today behind does not mean you cannot come back and start all over again tomorrow.

What a pigeon never told you is sometimes the thrown crumbs don't come right to us we must go to them.

What a sparrow never told you is the leaver sometimes loses the nest.

What a goldfish never told you is maybe the bowl you are swimming in is just where you were meant to be.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Cement of My Soul




There are times my feet are eager like a river
clumsily following the path easy to flow.
And my eyes are caged like two birds
never reaching the place they were meant to go.
There are times my heart is wavering like a tall oak
that in the storm is so easily swayed.
And my tongue is flickering like a fire
unable to stop the smoke from it's flame.
There are times my hands are reckless like the ocean
never knowing when to hold to the shore or just let go.
Yet, the tears that fall again and again
become the cement of my soul.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

The Vastness of The Sea



Theme Thursday



If standing before the vastness of the sea
you cannot find from within yourself
just one grain of hope rising up
as you look at the ocean holding up the sky
like a banner for all to see
revealing that there is somthing greater
and more powerful holding everything
together...
...if in just that one moment you cannot
find just one grain of hope then
like a lost grain of sand...
...you may never find it at all....

Something To Hold On To



Imperfect Prose with Emily take a look you will be blessed.


You would not walk the edge of the highest bridge without holding on to the rails.
Nor would you ride the ocean's wind without holding on to the sails.
You would not climb the tallest tree without a good firm grip.
Nor would you receive an offering without unwrapping and holding the gift.
You would not set up a ladder and climb it on shifting sand.
Nor would you accept a trophy without holding it in your hands.
So why would you walk the trials of life empty handed your whole life through?
For, Jesus holds out His hand, and He is something to hold on to.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Deep Inside the Ocean




We cannot reach the measurement of the distance between one bitter heart unto another. Nor can we calculate the moment of transformation fron tenderness to callous, yet like some shells deep inside the ocean, every hard heart has cracked places that could break, we just cannot get close enought to see.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

A Wasp In The Open Window,




Like a wasp in the open window beating upon the upper plated glass, we are not always certain we have ventured off the beaten path.
Yet, unlike the clever wasp whose instinct helps him to get free, we can stumble across the truth and still not realize what we have seen.
For ignorace is silent like the anxious lightning beats the thunder,uttering not a sound. So do we, travel through life unaware we are lost, until we have been found.

Her Melancholy Eyes,




Her melancholy eyes are like a stagnant forgotten pool. It's deep reflection draws you in like a mirage is to a fool.
It is a mysterious journey into a lifetime of pain with just a glance,somewhere between a world of woe, and a moment of a chance.
If you follow where they lead, there is no turning back. The load you carry will be greater, and you will miss more all you lack.
You must break free from this deep pool before your own demise,
for if you are not careful, you will drown in her melancholy eyes.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Oh So Close,


A closeness like that of a mother to a child
resembles being near to a rose garden;
Her sweet fragrance is strong, but her
oh so close thorns
always cut us more deeply.

To Know What Cherish Means,




One Shot Wednesday



I suppose the ocean learns it's longing from the shore that it must meet.
Yet, the soil feels it's constant touch from the roots below the trees.
And perhaps the dawn finds it from the horizon for which it always yearns.
Yet, the flame feels it's close quiver from the embers as they burn.
Maybe the eagle captures it's meaning from the need to reach the mountain and all it's charms.
Yet,for me I truly found it in one child within my arms.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Opening The Slammed Door




Imperfect Prose with Emily take a look you will be blessed.



It is strange what one forgets, and what one chooses to remember, like sifting fresh milk for cream, the liquid falls through while the thick cream remains at the top, tart and strong, ready to be used for another purpose. It has been over 30 years since her death, though the memories of my mother are faded, they are also frequent. Her brief life a constant reminder to me of life’s frailties, for I lost her long before her death to mental illness.
Being a child I was ignorant to the lack of normality in our lives. All I had known was seclusion and her fits from grandeur to gloom and despair. And though I can no longer recall her voice, I can still hear her words, and feel her silences, like echoes from a deep canyon.
Ever since I was grown with a child of my own, I have been all the more aware of the oddity of that time and the vacancy of the relationship I had with her. I had spent many of my younger years hating her for the way she was, and holding on to the bad memories like a shooting gun. It wasn’t until I was an older adult facing my own mistakes and weaknesses , that I came to better understand the frailties of her illness, and how in that time of less awareness, she was left helpless to succumb to its affects. How different her life might have been with help and the right medication.
The last time I saw her, I was nine years old. It was my first day of fourth grade. I do not recall anything about school that day, I can only remember she had been very ill and ended up in the hospital while I was gone. My father picked me up early and took me to her. I recollect feeling the usual sick in my heart feeling I would experience when she was admitted. Uncertainty has a grip that can shake you like a mixed drink, and it doesn’t let go until its drunk. It is a sensation that one never gets used to.
That day has been relived in my mind countless times. My brother, my dad, and I were all standing at the end of her hospital room, when suddenly something was very wrong. What happened before that moment, I could not tell you, but the rest I can see as if it were a new movie I just watched. She tensed up with a horrible gasp and then went limp. My father yelled for a nurse, and then it was mass confusion, just like on the movies. They rushed my brother and I out like cattle, to a waiting room that it felt like we spent the rest of my childhood in. Somehow, I ended up in the front lobby, where my father asked me if I wanted to go home or to Grandma’s house. My reply was simply a question, “is Mommy coming home?” He paused with a look of suffering that must have aged him 10 years, and then told me softly that she had passed away. Without even taking a moment to blink I chose Grandma’s house, and then calmly waited to leave. It took years for me to realize how unusual my reaction was, and come to terms with the bitterness I had towards her. Sometimes it is easier to hold on to the anger than to let go and deal with the loss of someone special.
Now I sit here at my desk sorting through the memories of what was and what should have been, contemplating my words, like the solutions to world peace. I don’t want to be remembered for my weaknesses, nor be the excuse for another’s, and I suppose my mother did not either. If I venture back to our old home near Milam Road, to the old metal swing set facing the west, I can recall a certain summer day as a very small child. I slipped from the swing, and in landing on the ground the metal seat came back and hit me in the head. I just sat there crying, until my mother quickly picked me up in her arms and rushed me inside, slamming the screen door behind us. She then hurried to put ice on my wound. I don’t know why it is one of the few good memories I have my relationship with her, but I do know it is worth holding on to and remembering over and over again.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Reflections From The Water


The follower is like a leaking faucet that just keeps dripping and dripping until someone comes along and turns off the valve.


The fool is like a puddle in a busy pathway that gets stepped in time and time again.


The dreamer is a like a arctic glacier that lives in constant longing for a spring that it has never known.


The hero is like a high flowing fountain that's fervent spray touches all who come near.


The leader is like the tide that has the power to pull the waves in and send them back out again.


For all mankind is like a thousand differently wound rivers, yet each one is reaching toward the same ocean.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Legacy


If we could live the life we wish our parents did,


maybe our children will!

To Bring A Sparrow Down,

Poets United Think Tank Prompt #24 Wings
It takes a whole factory to assemble artillery for the bullet's round,

but just one pull of the trigger to bring a sparrow down.

It takes many months to build a mighty bridge,

but just one earth quake for it to crumble and unhinge.

It takes the death of many soldiers to bring the battle to an end,

but just one terrorist attack to make the war begin.

It take a lot of time to establish reputation of dignity and concern,

but just one little lie to steal away the trust once earned.

It take a determined village to raise up a good women and good men,

but just one disguised villain to utterly destroy some of them.

For it takes a whole factory to assemble artillery for the bullet's round,

but just one pull of the trigger to bring a sparrow down.

Consider This.....

Imperfect Prose with Emily take a look you will be blessed.
In a perfect world, would there be an absence of mercy, grace, and compassion, for they were no longer a necessity?.......


Or possibly would it be a perfect world because they were in abundance?
















Containing The Stars


It has been whispered in my ear yet forever is such a mighty word we use with such frequent casualty flinging it around like a kite on display

with the recklessness of dreamers and earnestness of poets

as if we could truly contain the stars in a tin can

we chase forever's essence as if it could be caught

it has been written before me yet religion is such a fragile word

we say with such power

shuffling it around on desk tops like legal documents

with the harshness of scientists and disregard of fools

as if we could truly contain the stars in a tin can

we try to see the face of God

ignorant to the revelation that we have already seen the sparkle in His eyes.

Learning How To Reach


The river is a drifter always leaving behind what it once had, never comprehending the purpose that returning has. For the distant shore behind it has so much to teach, and so the restless river is still learning how to reach.


The forest is an anchor always holding to the hope of freedom it does not have, never truly grasping the purpose for which the roots do stand. For the wind that bends the branches has so much to teach, and so the settling forest is still learning how to reach.


Mankind is an idealistic dreamer always seeking the perfect path, never understanding the purpose that falling has. For the stumbling blocks before us have so much to teach, and so mankind in his searching is still learning how to reach.