A Poem A Day

Hakui

2009-11-03T23:49:00.000-08:00

We
Together we are.
Apart I am and you are.
Divided, not one.

God
Let me find Him by
Seeking one who fills the void.
Happens outside Church.

Spam
I hit the button,
Mark as spam and yet you email
Messages unread.

Cheesecurls
Orange and
I eat your cheesy goodness,
While hid from the dean.

I Know that Now

2009-07-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

I was wrong.
I know that now.
I judged without thinking.
I know that now.
Barely had the thoughts escaped my mind,
Hardly had the final prayer been said,
I had condemned.
Condemned.
Condemned.
To find one faithful
Proved me wrong.
I know that now.

Message in a Bottle

2009-06-07T20:46:00.000-07:00

When I was little,
Dreamed of all the places
My bottle would travel.
Of all the people who’d read my message,
All the people who’d see the words I’d wrote.

When I was old,
Found that bottle in the creek.
Buried ten feet from where I’d tossed it.

Death of an Old Man?

2009-05-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

I thought you were dead.
Saw you lying there,
Face up,
Eyes open.
Held the blade,
Washed the blood from
My hand.
Heard the Preacher say:
I now baptize you in the name of the
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Fairy Tale

2009-03-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

Cinderella come and take
This man away.
Whisk him off to kingdom far
You soon will see:
Within beats a Prince’s heart.
Take him away
Far from me.

Sorry Love

2009-02-23T06:25:00.000-08:00

In your black suit,
All stuffy and solemn,
So against your character.
Sorry Love.
You wanted to wear your smiley boxers
And Walmart T-shirt.
Sorry Love.

You are so quiet.
Wish you would talk,
Tell a joke or funny story
To lighten the mood.
You wanted to hang out at the beach,
To laugh and talk.
Sorry Love.

It's time to go now love.
Goodbye love.

Casket closes.

Winter Romance

2009-01-26T12:59:00.000-08:00

Winter is the perfect time to
Fall in love.
Warm nights by the fire,
Romantic walks,
Snowflakes melting on our tongues.
If only I wasn't
Slippin and sliddin
On the unplowed roads of your heart.

In Case my Unspoken Words Should Find Your Unhearing Ears

2009-01-18T09:07:00.000-08:00

You might have heard the rumors.
Listened to the gossip.
All I can say is that
When I talk to you
My breath catches in my throat
The words don’t want to come out
When our hands brush accidentally
I can’t move
Or think
Or speak.
I love:
Your glasses
The way your smile takes over your face
Your words, all musical and breathy.
You.

Behind the Smile

2009-01-06T08:11:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe I’ve lasted this long.
Hard to believe you never noticed,
Never seen behind my smile.
I didn’t think I was fooling anyone,
Didn’t believe I had the world by the tail.
You just never caught on,
Never saw behind the smile.

Left-Over Ramen

2009-01-05T11:04:00.000-08:00

The rooms are empty now.
Silent.
The only sign we once roamed these halls:
Left-over Ramen in the fridge.

“Ten Who Left the Adventist Church”

2009-01-03T15:42:00.000-08:00

I was intrigued.
The title – self explanatory.
Stole hurried glances,
Devoured what I could.
The words - mirrors of my thoughts.
The book – fire in my hand.
I dropped it.

Do You?

2008-10-09T05:58:00.000-07:00

I wonder how you sleep at night.
Do you drift into a dreamless state,
Spend a peaceful night?
Or is your pillow soaked with tears,
Your sleep restless and disturbed,
As is mine?

Talking

2008-09-24T10:16:00.000-07:00

I tried to be half the woman you are,
To talk
Instead of assume.
Yet I stood there crying
As you condemned me farther.
I walked away,
Twice the woman you are.

Silent Rebuke

2008-09-09T11:28:00.000-07:00

I had just been rebuked,
Cold sips of water to
Keep the tears down.
And yet,
She got up from her knees
Crying.

The Storm Rages On

2008-08-25T10:47:00.001-07:00

Lord save me.
Help me.
I don't see you in my boat.

On Watching Movies Late at Night

2008-08-03T06:38:00.000-07:00

I lied at night.
Said I was sleeping.

Drug of my choice,
I give in to my passions.

Hypocrite

2008-07-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

I know what you did,
The words that escaped
Your lips.
And you condemn us?
May God deal with you.

Lowest Point

2008-06-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

In such a place
I never thought.
I never dreamed.
I never lived
Like this.
You have brought me
To my lowest point.

Awaited

2008-06-29T19:18:00.000-07:00

Somewhere from deep inside
I snap,
Stop playing your games
And decide to act real.
Taken by surprise
Your response is still
Awaited.

Pure

2008-06-27T16:55:00.000-07:00

Bruised,
Battered,
Torn.
And yet I stand pure.
My intentions
Honest.

One Sided

2008-05-11T16:27:00.001-07:00

I'm trying to look at the issue from both sides,
To see their point and mine.
But I just keep getting wrapped up in my problem.
How can I see both sides
If my side is the one I am living?
How can I see both sides?

Hartland Girl

2008-04-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

She changes clothes throughout the day,
Trying to look her best.
With her hair done up like that,
People feel intimidated.
After the day is done
And we are chilaxing in her room,
I see her with her hair down and
I am not scared of her.

Thinking

2008-04-19T18:49:00.000-07:00

I lay here all awake.
Lost without my mp3s.
Can't use music to drown out
My thoughts.
I'm making some choices right now,
I'm doing some things,
That I just need stop and think about.
In retrospect,
It was a good night.

Movies

2008-04-18T08:55:00.000-07:00

Shoot the bad guys,
Free the hostage.
Spare me the details,
I know how it will end.
Put the main character
On death row,
Strap him to a bomb,
Push him off a cliff,
He never dies.

Enter a guy
And a girl.
They start to interact,
To fall in love.
Start a fight right about the middle,
Can be about a song,
A conversation,
Another girl.
Spare me the details.
In the end
The guy gets the girl.

Scare me with all
You've got.
Haunt me with
Absurdity.
Spare me the details.
You leave me frightened,
Of cripples,
Ticks,
Staying home alone,
In daylight.

Anyone can make a movie.

If

2008-04-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

If you collect every tear,
What happened to the ones
Jesus wept?
If you count every hair,
where are the ones pulled
From his beard?
If you see every sparrow fall,
What of the blood drops that fell
From the forehead of your Son?
If you clothe the lilies,
Why allow Christ
To be nailed nearly naked on a Roman cross?

On Changing and the Result

2008-04-16T12:06:00.000-07:00

I look at what I have become,
This monster I have changed into,
This person I now despise.
Look close.
View the change.
The way I walk,
The way I talk to my friends,
The ones I used to call my friends.

And yet the enemies keep creeping back,
The ones I pushed from my mind,
Made disappear,
Just beyond the thin veil
Of my imagination.

This person I have become,
This image I now maintain,
Cost the friendship of my friends
And failed to my enemies disappear.

Pages

2008-04-13T09:33:00.001-07:00

Take a page,
Sit and read.
Pull my life from
Off the shelf.
Read as you would
a novel.
See me in true light:
black and white.

Magic in the Night

2008-04-12T11:53:00.000-07:00

After a night of
Tireless effort,
I save the document
And stumble off to bed,
Only to awake
And find
Jibberish.

I can fill the pages,
Write all night,
Have nothing
Good to say.

Somehow I think
When I awake,
These pages will be filled
With words
That carry
Their weight in gold.

Coming up for Air

2008-04-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

Gun to my head,
Trapped in this situation.
Can't breathe.
Can't move.
Then finally i break through,
Come up for air,
Feel like my prayers
Reach the heavens.

All Alone

2008-04-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

Somewhere in a dark room,
you are sleeping.
In New York City,
preparing for bed.
Laying wide awake,
Surfing the net.
Somewhere in a dark room,
I am all alone.

The Garage Sale

2008-04-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

I took my treasures to
The garage sale.
Placed a price on each one.
Watched as people passed,
Stopped to buy
And look around.
Every time they looked at
My treasures,
I sorta cringed inside
For I didn't want to part
With the things
That had brought me so much
Pleasure.

I'll give up my treasures
Another day.
I'll sacrifice my idols
To You,
Sometime.

Throughout the day
I sat there in the sun.
When a buyer came to pay
I would just tell him
The treasure had already sold,
And was waiting for pick-up.

I'll give up my treasures
Another day.
I'll sacrifice my idols
To You,
Sometime.

The day was getting darker,
As I packed the
Treasures in their newspaper.
One last customer came by,
Offered to buy them all.
I said the price was more
Than he could afford,
But he opened up His palms
And there I saw the
Scares I had made.

I gave up my treasures
Today.
I sacrificed my idols
To You.
Lord, I give up my heart to you.
Draw me close and make me true.

Joseph of Arimathaea

2008-04-04T18:48:00.001-07:00

Your gold and silver
Bought this tomb,
Fit for God.
You planned it for yourself,
But when the Master needed,
You gave it up.
Were you sure he was
Rising?
Did you really think
You'd get to use it anyhow?

Nicodemus

2008-04-02T17:20:00.000-07:00

You came at night
To hear the story.
To hear how one is
Born again.
But in the hour,
Of the master's darkest trial,
When the disciples
Forsook the one they loved,
You followed him
And made your stand,
In the court of your peers.

I Surrender All

2008-03-06T16:37:00.000-08:00

My mind is in a tumult.
The only relief is a dreamless sleep,
But the price is paid in the morning,
After my sub-conscience has wrestled.
I feel like the end is near.
The Lord is sifting my soul.
He wants me on His side.
If only I “surrender all”,
I hear the still small voice repeat.

USA in Bible Prophecy

2008-03-05T08:12:00.000-08:00

America stands proud,
The country of freedom,
The land of the prosperous,
This place that I love.
But my love is not blind,
For I know what will happen,
What will become of the flag:
Red for the martyrs you'll slay.
Blue for the law you'll trample.
White for the purity of the few who will stand,
Against the country I had loved.

Tea and Cars

2008-03-04T14:54:00.000-08:00

I remember tea,
Sipped in small amounts.

I remember snow,
Up to my waist

I remember a car,
Covered in blue plush.

I remember life,
Simpler.

The Funeral

2008-02-29T18:55:00.000-08:00

I stand by the deceased,
Unsure of what to say.
He lived a good life,
Only to be cut short in the
Prime.
I knew him.
He lived in my building.
I had passed him at Walmart.
If only I had known he was dying....

The service ends as I
Flush the toilet,
And watch my goldfish
Disappear forever.

Just a Crush?

2008-02-27T16:16:00.000-08:00

Maybe my love
Wasn't true.
My heart
Wasn't surrendered.
Oh Lord,
Were you just
A crush?

What We Know

2008-02-26T07:17:00.000-08:00

We know theology,
All the texts
That prove our point.

We know health,
All the things
To live a better life.

We know EGW,
All the quotes
She's said.

Just don't ask us
About practical Christianity.
We are Adventists.

Two Left Feet

2008-02-21T17:11:00.000-08:00

He's like the fat kid
No one wants to dance with
The ugly one that everyone
Avoids.
The short guy with the too long
Mustache.

He dances to a beat all his own.
Uses moves that are not in the book.
Makes a fool of himself
On the dance floor.

Something More

2008-02-20T16:43:00.000-08:00

It is said that Hitler
Liked children.
Was a vegetarian.
Didn't smoke.
Never cheated on his wife.

Maybe we should look for
Something more in our
Political leaders.

Prayer Meeting

2008-02-19T17:22:00.000-08:00

I listen in wonder,
Have trouble bringing
My ears back to the prayer
I am to listen to.
Voices from the chapel,
Ascending to the very
Throne of God.
It sounds like the voice
Of many waters.
The pleading of the faithful.
The praises from
Children of the King.
I mix my voice with theirs.

Naboth

2008-02-18T16:39:00.000-08:00

You died because
A King desired your
Vineyard.
Your family land was
Without a price.
Tell me.
Was it better to die
Then loose the property?

Not Interested

2008-02-15T17:01:00.000-08:00

Don't tell me that,
Slam the door in my face.
If you only knew what
I have to offer,
What I show you.
Don't make me shake the
Dust from my feet,
And pray that God will have
Mercy on your soul.

Where I am At

2008-02-13T16:51:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to sift through the
Bible texts that run through my mind,
EGW quotes I have heard,
To see through
This veil called Adventism,
To look past things my church
Has taught and
Find a God.

I Saw the Beam

2008-02-09T16:43:00.000-08:00

I condemned them for
Sins they had committed.
Looked at them through
Hypocritical eyes.
I saw the moat in their eye
And ignored the beam in my own.

I now see it clearly
Reflected in my life,
The very thing I condemned.
Lord, I repent,
Fall to my knees.
For in your eyes
The sin is the same.

Stop Playing

2008-02-02T16:04:00.000-08:00

If you're not totally on God's side,
Doing all you've been convicted
(Might not be as much as someone else).
You might as well stop playing around and
Go out into the world.

A Little Sin

2008-01-31T16:39:00.000-08:00

If a little sin stopped Moses
From entering the promise land,
What I am going to do about all the things
Blocking me from heaven?

To My Loving Church Family

2008-01-19T15:47:00.000-08:00

To think I spent time caring what you thought.
Agonizing over what to say.
Anxiously wanting to see you.

I am the forgotten student.

Faith

2008-01-18T05:52:00.000-08:00

Lord,
I'm afraid,
Very afraid.
You said a mustard seed
(Of faith)
Would move mountains.
Mine are yet unconquered.

Chocolate

2008-01-17T14:22:00.000-08:00

By any other name,
(Except for carob),
Would be just as sweet.

Art

2008-01-12T16:24:00.000-08:00

The painter
The mechanic
The baker,
They sit and admire,
The picture
The car
The cake.

The writer
Merely starts again.

Seventy Times Seven

2008-01-11T06:19:00.000-08:00

The man said sorry,
Offered a long apology.
Wrote a masterpiece,
Then tore it up.
Made things right.
Did all he could.

Now where's the forgiveness?

Israelite Church

2008-01-09T09:08:00.001-08:00

It's easy to criticize.
But, if the Israelites
Wondered for forty years,
Then we have wandered for
Six thousand.

Strength

2008-01-07T09:45:00.000-08:00

Many hands clenched,
We are strong together.
It is when you are alone
That the battle is fought.
And if you stand alone,
You fight against the
Strength of many.

Christianity

2008-01-06T16:12:00.000-08:00

Elbowing your way
Across a crowd that is
Moving in the opposite direction
Is sometimes the only option.

Away From Home

2008-01-05T16:21:00.000-08:00

I've never traveled so far,
Prayed so less.
Lord I've wandered
From your side.
I sought comfort
From another source.
Dried my tears
With another's sleeve.
Only there was no
Comfort.
No sleeve to
Dry my tears.

Tetris

2007-12-29T17:40:00.001-08:00

Every piece fits together,
But one little block cannot tell
Where the next should go.
Only the Master can.

Remembered

2007-12-28T13:01:00.000-08:00

You live
To be remembered once.
You die
Before remembered.

Flowers to one who can't smell.
Good clothes for one who can't see.
A silky coffin lining for one who can't feel.
Organ music for one who can't hear.

A life remembered
By an hour's service.

Moses

2007-12-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

You walked away,
Wiped your name off pyramids,
To become shepherd to
Disobedient sheep.

David

2007-12-20T12:52:00.001-08:00

He was a man of blood
A man of unholy passions,
A man after God's heart.

Innocent Victim

2007-12-18T12:59:00.001-08:00

You've heard the story
Of a man who died,
A man who gave His life.
In this age
With violence all around,
Is it still the same?

When the priests kept offering
The sacrifice
And the blood flowed
Like a river,
Was it still the same?

Is He just another
Innocent victim?

Dinner at a Fine Restaurant

2007-12-17T16:40:00.000-08:00

The food was okay,
Except for the
Unrecognizable
Vegetable.
The price tag
Was the worst,
Though.
We went home
To eat mac and cheese.

Jephthah

2007-12-12T12:29:00.001-08:00

Women weren't allowed
To make irrevocable vows,
But they could suffer as a
Result of a man's.

Scared of the Dark

2007-12-10T13:36:00.001-08:00

Afraid to be alone at night,
To let the monsters
Of my past reign,
I replay tapes
Till I collapse from
Sheer exhaustion.
Even then,
My dreams haunt me.

For the Record

2007-12-07T09:04:00.000-08:00

If you consider that the
Scribes and Pharisees
Were the church,
Jesus wasn't a member
In good standing.

Psalms 6:6,8

2007-12-04T07:02:00.001-08:00

I awake
To find my pillow soaked,
Cry in the shower,
Weep at work.
Lord, I have no tears left.
Have you heard them?

Psalms 5:6-11

2007-12-03T12:16:00.000-08:00

Lord, you abhor those who lie
But, there they stand.
There is nothing truthful
In their lips.
There is nothing righteous
About their heart.
Their mouth is as a
Foul cave.
Their tongue speaketh
Vain flattery.
Let those who trust You
Be defended against them.

Communion Sabbath

2007-11-28T10:27:00.000-08:00

What can one say?
Let's wash the feet,
Brake the bread.
Maybe these long sermons
Are to give time for personal
Reflection.
But, too many words
Kill the effect.

Uzzah

2007-11-27T09:14:00.000-08:00

You steadied the ark of God,
Kept it from falling.
As if God could not.

Esther

2007-11-26T12:12:00.000-08:00

You think the King
Wanted a beauty pageant
When Esther was called?
Banish your childish thoughts.
She spent the night with the king,
And evidently pleased him.

Sacred Of Storms

2007-11-21T07:24:00.000-08:00

The storm that rages outside seems to defy heaven.

Crashing thunder
On the day of rest.

Blinding light
On the day of peace.

Wind driven rain
On the day of joy.

A storm on the Sabbath is out of place.
And yet, it matches my heart.

Forced Creativity

2007-11-19T07:26:00.000-08:00

She redecorates
The lesson quarterly.
I fill in the spaces of the letters
In my bulletin.
This sermon is not user friendly.

Sin in a Positive Light

2007-11-18T12:38:00.000-08:00

It's almost as if
Coming back
Is better than the first.

Growing up in the faith,
I had no real concept of
Forgiveness.

After I turned my back,
Did my thing,
Then I found forgiveness.

Seasons of Hartland

2007-11-14T14:04:00.000-08:00

At the start of a new year,
As we walk to class,
Our shoes crunch the dead leaves.
As the days get colder,
We watch the last leaves fall.
Trees are dying one leaf at a time,
Like the students who walk these grounds.
Some make it until the spring
When the leaves return.
Many do not.

This Book

2007-11-13T09:13:00.000-08:00

A lot of people see this as a
Complex,
Unable to understand book,
But I long for it's clearly defined identity
In aspects of my life:
Boring parts,
Exciting parts,
Disturbing parts,
Uncomprehendable parts,
All chaptered out in my life,
Free to turn where I will.
To read or not to read.
Words in red,
Words in black,
Clearly defined.
Verses by verse I could take it.
Word by word digest it.
Wish my life was more like a Bible.

Scars

2007-11-10T15:45:00.001-08:00

You pick up a piece of glass
And bring it to your arm.
Slowly you press it into your flesh.
But wait, you stop before the skin
Brakes.
You have healed.
Your pain is over.
Nothing is left but the scars.

Blood

2007-11-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

A piece of glass
Slits on your wrist.
Can't you see the pain this brings?
Can't you see the tears on my face?
What do you think
As you're watching your blood drip?
When people ask about your arm,
What are you gonna tell them?

Sisterhood

2007-11-06T08:40:00.000-08:00

We scurry to and fro,
Like rats
Like roaches
Like girls stuck in a cage.

When good food comes
We become pack rats.
Storing it up for a later date.
Hiding it in rooms,
In cabinets,
In small refrigerators.

Guys approach our
Sacred halls,
We become hornets,
Intent on keeping them out.
Our stinging remarks
Scare the enemy away.

The staff reprimand
Our dress
Our actions
Our spiritual life.
We are penguins,
Huddled together for protection
From their icy words.

Our sisterhood is
Many hands clenched together,
Standing with one goal in mind:
To last at Hartland two more years.

On Ugly Men

2007-11-05T08:43:00.000-08:00

His hand brushes mine.
I notice.
We drive to church in his car.
I smile.
Holding my hand to help me down,
He smiles.

We hide from the rain together.
Sitting in the dark,
Suddenly shy.
The wind whistles around,
Our niche is warm.

So romantic.
And yet not.

My Best Friend's Boyfriend's Girlfriend

2007-11-04T10:16:00.000-08:00

We catch up over Chinese
I try to finish my plate.

I start to say something,
Her phone cuts me off

She answers: “Hi honey.”
I look away.

It's just different.

Friendship

2007-11-02T09:59:00.000-07:00

A relationship with another human being.
A fragile bond between two breathing beings.
A complicated thing.
An interaction for even the briefest of seconds
Can alter the course of another human.
Destroyed by a word,
Shattered by a frown.
A fragile thing,
A delicate thing.

Love

2007-11-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

Little girls dream of the day when their
Prince will come to take them away.
In reality he drives a beat up Jetta.

They wish to be swept off their feet,
Now I would prefer not to have the carpet pulled out from under me.

Some have found what others avoid.

It finally caught up to me,
I grew out of my awkward stage
And guys began to notice.
I'm not a little girl dancing
On her daddy's shoes anymore.

It does feel nice to have someone like you:
To compliment you from across the room,
To comment on your eyes,
To get all shy when you're around.

But I'm not ready yet,
Still trying to decide if I believe in this fairy tale called love.

Psalms 4:3,4

2007-10-31T09:17:00.000-07:00

The Lord has set the godly apart.
Stand and sin not.

Forgotten

2007-10-30T16:47:00.000-07:00

On the day I took your name and added it to mine
You promised you would love and honor me forever.

You've since given your love and honor to another
And forgotten my name.

You can have it back.
I've forgotten it too.

I never liked Heck anyway.

Leaving

2007-10-29T06:24:00.000-07:00

You would think I would be qualified.
And yet, some have lost more.
I've seen entire rooms,
Three roommates gone.
I only lost two.
I've watched as friends are taken
Without goodbyes.
At least I've had those.
It deadens the pain when one
Leaves on their own,
When one says they're coming back.
But, the hurt is still there.
So, if I stop to care,
If I stick to myself,
Don't hold it against me.
I just don't have anything more to give.

Words

2007-10-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

Playing with words,
Shaping them into the thoughts
Floating around in my head.
Pen to the paper,
These marks are the
Visible expressions of my heart.
Line upon line I build
The poetry up.

Pebbles

2007-10-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

A pebble for every sin,
Lord I can't carry these.
My sins are many.
My burdens are heavy.

My child: for every one of your sins,
A boulder is added to my back.
Your sins are many.
My burdens are heavy.

On Hunting

2007-10-25T08:41:00.001-07:00

Like a wild safari
On permanent pause.
Desecration.
Bloodthirsty violence
Quenched the blood
From their lifeless corpses.
What sport has been gained?
What pleasure has been found?

Adultery

2007-10-23T08:38:00.001-07:00

Finding solace in the arms of another.
Finding protection in the strength of another.
I lean into his embrace and
Forget about God.
It isn't until later that I find:
Satan cannot forgive.

2007-10-22T17:20:00.000-07:00

BIG
words
SCARE
people,
BUT
little
WORDS
carry more
PUNCH.

Theories

2007-10-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

Campfire theories
Always sound better in the dark,
Before I can see the faces
Of those I gossip about.

Thoughts on Elijah

2007-10-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

It was a short prayer
That Elijah prayed
To bring the fire
Down on Mount Carmel.

If I am not aware
That 7,000 others
Have not bowed to Baal,
Then I am all alone.

Christians

2007-10-17T17:13:00.000-07:00

Real Christians don't dance.
We simply lie
and cheat and steal.
We take the name of Christ
And then use it as our own,
Tricking the world into thinking
That we are holy.

Imagine

2007-10-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

Imagine the conflict.
Imagine the strain on the church I love.
Imagine the freedom I would feel
To be real,
To walk away,
To dance before God
Like David did.

Inasmuch

2007-10-15T07:15:00.000-07:00

I had a dream the other night that
I was standing in judgment before God
He told me that he had played the flute
But I had not danced to the tune.
I asked him when I had heard him playing the flute
“That Sabbath when Mrs Ringer stood up in church
And started to sway
You frowned and leaned over to whisper unholy things
to your neighbor.”
He told me that he had played the drums
But that I had disapproved.
I asked him when I had seen him playing the drums.
“That Thursday night you stood up in board meeting
and said that the only instrument that should be played in
the church was the organ.”
He told me that he had played the saxophone
But that I had not listened.
I asked Him when I had heard him playing the sax.
“That Saturday night at the social Jimmy
played that song and everyone clapped
But you refused and then stormed out
When someone questioned you on it.”
I awoke then and realized
It was just a dream.

On Banning Tie-dye and Converses

2007-10-08T08:46:00.001-07:00

I walk to chapel,
These clothes are not my own.
They feel foreign to my body.
I need color,
I need life.
I need to know that I am wearing something that
Expresses my thoughts,
my soul,
my mind.

It's not about converses.
It's not about tie-dye.
It's about me
Stifled between a rock and a hard place,
Shoved into a mold,
Asked to change.
Worked on.
Harped on.
Struggling until I lay still
And let them force my body
Into dull and lifeless clothing.

Poetry

2007-10-07T12:59:00.001-07:00

On backs of bulletins
Scribbling the lines of thought
That crisscross in my mind.

Psalms 3

2007-10-05T10:29:00.001-07:00

Lord, my enemies are so close
I can hardly breathe.
I'm scared to sleep at night,
It is only through your grace
That I arise.
They think that you
Will not help me,
Will not save me from them.
Prove them wrong Lord,
Else I die.

Psalm 2:2-4

2007-10-04T15:08:00.000-07:00

Left out of the courtroom,
Taken out of laws,
Constitution constructed without,
Forgotten in the Senate,
God laughs.

Judges forget name,
Senators bar from their hearts,
God weeps.