There are objects of affection that can mezmerize the soul...

I want to love God but I'm only a gunslinger
Weighed down beneath the unending pressure.
Desperate for hope as I carry the fire
Beyond every hill to light up each spire.

It's cold at the top so race down the steep
and take hold my hand as we dash from the peak
The wind cuts to the bone so sharp in your sleep
so stay with me now as we follow our feet

Run through the valley bearing your load
while overcast skies line the sides of the road.
Though your bundle be bright and your struggle be old
Leave us enough to just crack the code.

Lower the rod and they'll take the bait
Slowly as we're made into something great.
Take stock of my eye and take the path straight
While suddenly both of our hands start to shake.

Sinking sand melody, show me where to start.
Burning bush eternity, rekindle my heart.
I'll rustle up courage, I'll show off my scar
If only to catch just one glimpse of that spark.

We've got far yet to go, and our road will be steep
but I 'll stay by your side as we race to the peak,
The wind cuts to the bone so sharp in your sleep
so stay with me now as we follow our feet.

"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

Hope she don't see all that wicked inside of me...

I watched the pyre burn, as every flag unfurled,  all spirit, smoke and  sway, staining their white to grey.

There must have been some art, to how I fell apart, it's never been this hard even for Joan of arc.

Is it noble running out a burning home

Where you going son, turn around

Should I worry if I die alone

In the dark, do you get it now.

Oh don't you know, we like that skin and bone, cuz we're all cannibals out searching for a home.

Just take that pound of flesh, and all that you confessed, seal it here all uptight, so you can sleep at night

Is it noble running out a burning home

Where you going son, turn around

Should I worry if I die alone

In the dark, do you get it now?

I keep my eyes towards the sun

Blind to the weight of what I've done.
I keep the light for all my sons

I'll walk this road, though it be long.

I keep my heart and I will run,

Straight to the source until it's done.

Is it noble running out a burning home

Where you going son, turn around

Should I worry if I die alone

In the dark, do you get it now?

Each breath rattles like dice in my chest, each breath gambled, unwinding till death...

 "Let's be honest, there's really only, like, two reasons I'm actually here. I'm running out of incentives to stay..."


"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

Cuz I've grown into the ground and there are branches in my bones...

 It's not your eyes
It's not what you say
It's not your laughter
That gives you away
You're just lonely
You've been lonely, too long

Oh, you're acting your thin disguise
All your perfectly delivered lines
They don't fool me
You've been lonely, too long

Let me in the wall
You've built around
We can light a match
And burn it down
Let me hold your hand
And dance 'round and 'round the flames
In front of us
Dust to dust

You've held your head up
You've fought the fight
You bear the scars
You've done your time
Listen to me
You've been lonely, too long

Let me in the walls
You've built around
We can light a match
And burn them down
Let me hold your hand
And dance 'round and 'round the flames
In front of us
Dust to dust

You're like a mirror, reflecting me
Takes one to know one, so take it from me
You've been lonely
You've been lonely, too long
We've been lonely
We've been lonely, too long


"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

Walk on the wires, defeat and define...

"Those who expect to reap the blessing of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it." - Thomas Paine

"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

I don't mean to be a bother, I don't need you to take my burdens away...

"Flying by the seat of your pants with God on your shoulder seems like a good plan. He hasn't steered you wrong yet..."

"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

There's an elephant in the back of the room, and it's standing in plain view...

It is your birthday, Judas
but did you count the cost?
Stand inside the doorway
and survey all the lost.

Know your sins, Judas,
and put away your noose.
Think about your mother,
think of what you'll lose.

Are you ready, Judas?

What are your plans in the fall?

Have you thought of traveling south?

Have you considered it at all?

Nurse your wounds, Judas,

And bandage up your heart.

There is no time for grieving,

You too must play your part.

Memento mori, Judas,
We all must pay our dues.
Faith is the risk of knowing the truth,
"If it were up to me, I'd always lose."


"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

I was just hoping, these storm filled skies would clear.

"Never fall in love with a poet...

Never fall in love with a poet
for their words are sometimes lies
on occasions they're a shield
on occasions a disguise

They will take you on a journey
upon which they bare their soul
in a bid to ease your burdens
in a bid to make you whole

But in every word they choose
for the stories that they tell
lies a little piece of heaven
and a little piece of hell

Tormented souls we poets are
sometimes quite broken and despaired
in search of lost expressions
missed by others who once cared

Never fall in love with a poet
unless you're prepared to share their pain
to hold them close on the darkest nights
over and again"

- Thomas Hawkins


"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

I could tell you how many moves to checkmate right now...

I may have just prayed the most sincere prayer of my entire life.

"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

But the city doesn't talk, you've gotta run farther....

When I think of you, this is what I hope your year sounds like...

 


When you think of me, this is what I hope you hear...







"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

You throw your head back laughing like a little kid...

The clock ticking was all I could hear at close to 4. At this early hour, the waking can be up to no sublime task. Mine was not a joyful calling, yet I was called. I'm not quite sure why you were the only thing I could think about. Probably because I was preaching all the same lessons I always needed to hear. I just twiddled my thumbs, deftly keeping time with the stroke of the second hand. Soon enough, her father came to console her and we were able to return home only after his silent gratitude was shown to us. Such a mutual exchange of respect comes rests uneasy with me. The parents of these children say, "Tyler , you're a good man." Me? A man? A good man? Oh sweet childhood, vehemently do I long for your simplicity and innocence when such responsibilities rested in the hands of the wise and ever so capable.

 I keep hearing your laughter down the halls of the campus center and your voice in the back of my head. Mistakes are one of the few things that stick with a person. So today, my students tend to be my greatest source of joy and sanity. There's something about passing on that's dead sure, and I love every single one of them.

Ah well. Guess I really am oblivious after all, and I've never felt so relieved to say so. Here I am alive. Where are you at?


"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

You're so very special, I wish I was special...

"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

Don't you ever wonder how we survive?

"Reserving judgements is a matter of infinite hope. I am still a little afraid of missing something if I forget that, as my father snobbishly suggested, and I snobbishly repeat, a sense of the fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth..."

"No-Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men..."

"I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life..."

"Every one suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known..."

"I'm thirty...I'm five years to old to lie to myself and call it honor..."

"Angry, and half in love with her, and tremendously sorry, I turned away..."

"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly  into the past..."

F. Scott Fitzgerald 

"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

And the walls kept tumbling down in the city that we loved....

“I try to live what I consider a poetic existence. That means I take responsibility for the air I breathe and the space I take up. I try to be immediate, to be totally present for all my work.”  
-Maya Angelou

 


"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

Oh, what a strange place...

Cloud Atlas was a depressing movie.

"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

Weep not for roads untraveled....

"I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day." - E. B. White

"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

She dreamt of aero space planes and fell in spells of neon futures...

"I happen to prefer champagne to ditchwater, but there is no reason to suppose that the cosmos does." - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground...

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I am saved"
I'm whispering "I get lost!"
"That is why I chose this way."

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need someone to be my guide.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
and pray for strength to carry on.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
and cannot ever pay the debt.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
my flaws are too visible
but God believes I'm worth it.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartaches
which is why I seek His name.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I do not wish to judge.
I have no authority.
I only know I'm loved.

- Carol Wimmer 

"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

We only know this life, deep in the woodwork...

Once again I'll  carry another's burden when my own keep me at night. But I'll still come to you through the wind and the snow, it'll take all my might. I'm up for review every day though I know that I should be doing my homework. Words and phrases all aligned, but I'm fed up with quotation marks. Take my time, I'll give it up, but these personal endevours carry so much weight. You've lost your way and come to me, but I don't always know how to make it right.

You're not sure you can take much more, who knows what tomorrow has in store. So pour me another cup of coffee and spill your guts, I'll wait and watch till the sun comes up...

"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

Light 'em up, up, up...

The Carpenter’s Cloth by Sigmund Brouwer (1997 Word Publishing)

            During Jesus’ time, there was one way a carpenter let the contractor know a job was finished. A signature, so to speak.

            Imagine a hot afternoon in Galilee. Jesus has completed the final pieces of a job has worked on for several days. The hair of his strong forearms is matted with sawdust and sweat. His face is shiny with heat. He takes a final and welcome drink of cool water from a leather bag.

            Then standing to the side of his work, he pours water over his face and chest, splashing it over his arms to clean himself before his journey home. With a nearby towel he pats his face and arms dry.

            Finally, Jesus folds the towel neatly in half and then folds it in half again. He sets in on the finished work and walks away. Later, whoever arrives to inspect the work will see the towel and understand its simple message. The work is finished.

            Christ’s disciples knew the tradition. Sunday of sorrow, three years after Jesus had set aside his carpenter’s tools, Peter will crouch to look into an empty tomb and see only the linens that the risen LORD has left behind.

            A smile will cross Peter’s face as his sorrow is replaced by hope, for he will see the wrap that covered Jesus’ face. It has been folded in half and half again.

           

            Peter understands the carpenter has left behind a simple message.

                        IT IS FINISHED!

 Submitted by Linda Amado

"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

Thrive.

"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

And now I just sit in silence...

I've got brown hair, but I grow a ginger beard. Maybe that's the reason that you're not here. Some crazy people they say I'm kinda blonde, But I'm not so sure that'll  they'll stick around. Cuz as I get older my hair will only recede, and waking up with you will be all I need. I'll only get so far until I fix my bedhead, "You don't love me," is all I know that she ever said.

So this is an ode to all of the above as we all leave behind all of our love. We've got our own cause, so kindly hold your applause while we sign up for new gun control laws. Waiting on a time when no one can rhyme, and no more doubters ask for a sign. I'll speak only the truth while she raises the roof and screams for the sake of every youth.

I'm not a revolutionary, I'm just innovative with too much food on my contemplative mind is leaking faster now, I can't seem to stop the coming disaster now. I know the wind, I know the rain,  oh please come now, please don't be late! Renege the weatherman, I'm in charge now, revenge the sinking sand, rise up from the ground and tell the dead that they're obsolete. We'll never really taste defeat.

"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

And I couldn't sleep...

Sometimes, I wonder what the heroes of the faith would do if they were standing next to me today.
Would Paul have words of wisdom? Would David burst into song? Would Esther persuade my companions?  I'm not sure. Instead I've got to stand in my own shoes shrugging my shoulders and grinning. My place is behind the scenes. Whenever I step into the forefront of the room I end up putting my foot in my mouth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGoRfPeUCIQ

I'm not always at a loss for words, but when I am it's out of insufficiency. You'd think I'd be comfortable in my own skin by now, but that's just the problem. It's all inside. I refuse to believe that people aren't as complex as they seem. Granted, among the shallow and feeble minded, I'm king. But the story that some have to tell just isn't one for me to know. I'm comfortable being unimportant. I'm content to convalesce. The salience of my existence is so small that somehow people are convinced that I'm worth something. You don't need to read another sentence about me and what I can contribute to this world, because it's nothing. The very notion of self is one of selfish misconduct and I refuse to be self centered any longer. That's why I don't write here anymore, because whatever ends up here is selfish and self deprecating.

"Blessed are the meek...for they shall inherit the earth"

Teaching those who do not have, now that has meaning. Establishing those who come after me, now that has value. Preparing the way, now that is salient. I guess that's why God invented the Church. The Holy Spirit guides everywhere, but it sure is nice to have a hand to hold...

 Loneliness isn't all that bad you know.

"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

I need you at your best so I won't forget...

"The opposite of ignorance is not knowledge, it is obedience..."

"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

I'll bet that traitor tasted like your favorite champagne...

All the world is moving and alone. 

"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."

And don't leave a note, 'cause I swear if you wrote me I'd probably take it all back...

So great are these scars of pure honesty

They run deep like pine roots which grow while I sleep

I don’t ask for much, just for love and for life

But I’m just so tired of being the bad guy

­

Would you lay down your shield and pick up my heart?

The seasons can make it a new work of art

Somehow I fumbled my one guiding light

We’re passing through life just like ghosts in the night

When I leave,

You won’t know

How this genie inside me just won’t us go­

Bottled Up

Courting dust

I don’t want my three wishes, I only want one

And that’s the one thing just out of reach

By a mile.

Can you trust in me while I’m casting my lot?

I’ll whisper to you all the things we forgot

In the small spaces between black and white

I catch a glimpse of the truth in your eyes

When I leave,

You won’t know

How this genie inside me just won’t let us go

Bottled Up

Courting dust

I don’t want my three wishes, I only want one

And that’s the one thing just out of reach

By a mile

And I’ve had it comin’ for a while now

Cuz I’m always looking for reasons to frown

And maybe if you remember why I loved you

Then we’ll come to terms and the world will too.

When I leave,

You won’t know

How this genie inside me just won’t let us go

Bottled Up

Courting dust

I don’t want my three wishes, I only want one

And that’s the one thing just out of reach

There’s too many miles between you and me

Cuz’ love’s the one thing just out of reach for a while

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPrj53ydjbU

"I get so distracted by some people's reactions that I don't see my own faults for what they are. At times it's so self destructive, with no intent or motive, but behind this emotion, there lies a sensible heart..."