short poem.

compose or decompose.
but for god's sake, compose.

Grounded.

Dear God, Allah, Buddha, whoever the fuck is up there listening...

This one comes from a lost boy
Age 23
I thought I'd have it down by now
Looks like I was wrong again
This time I'm putting aside my pride
I'm asking you to teach me
To teach us
We've been doing it our way too long
And I think I speak for everyone when I say we're exhausted
And alone
And scared
So please...teach us
We're listening this time
You have my word...for what it's worth
Teach us to be like gravity
Pulling anything and anyone close
Unconditionally
Holding them like a mother holds a newborn baby
Safe
Comfortable
Teach us to cry
Teach us to dry our tears using a towel embroidered with humor
Laughter always was the best medicine
Teach us to crawl
Teach us to walk
Walk with a spring in our step named God
Teach us to run, jump, skip, hop-scotch to Mecca
We all need a pilgrimage to remind us that home is due West
West in a straight line eventually we leave the earth's surface
We leave the earth's atmosphere
We're in space, the final frontier
Past the moon
Past the sun
Beyond the Milky Way, way, way out in the stars
On to infinity
Trying to reach the ends of the universe to find the lines that define you
That devine you
As soon as we reach the edge we find it's gone
Wait no, it's just further out now
Out of our grasp
Out of breath, gaaaasssssp
Some things just aren't meant to be
But all us boys and girls hopped up on scotch will fall drunk back to Mother earth's dirty embrace
We haven't felt this safe in the dirt since we were kids
So we play in the dust like it's winter's first snow
Making dust angels, or are they people?
We're just trying to follow your lead.
And when we're done we don't bother to rinse off
We know it's only our bodies that are unclean
This dirt may stick to the souls of our sneakers, but it can't stick to the souls of your creatures
Not anymore
Not since you taught us to be like gravity
Pulling everything and everyone close
Unconditionally
Unconventionally
That always was your style
Who knew we had to leave the earth before we could feel grounded?
I guess you did all along
You always knew
I just never bothered to ask.

age seven
i lost another truth again
i held onto it as long as i could
scared of the pain that would come
but its gone now
god knows it was barely hanging on...it must have been scared too
it finally let go at lunch
bit into an apple, and just like that...
i guess some things never change
it was the week before christmas break
and cold for a texas winter
it was the same day i realized santa claus was just the principal
that fake beard fooled me just a year ago, but i'm wiser now.
at least that's what they tell me
i held on tight to it on the way home, not wanting to lose it
i put it under my pillow for safe-keeping
come morning though, it was gone
in it's place lie another fresh, crisp bill
the straight edges try to hide its crooked origins
it's official alright, backed by the gold standard
capping the cavities in the flawed paradigm
it's a fairytale to be sure
i run my tongue a lot these days
trying to find something firm to bounce my words off of
searching for the old feel inside my mouth
all i find is an unfamiliar void
slimy. slippery.
like the fairy that took it from me
i want it back. i want it back. here's all the money i have
it's not much, but i emptied out my piggy bank
can i please just have it back?

Thrift Store T-Shirt

You can have your three piece suit, I don't need it thank you.
And to be honest, I don't want it.
No I'd rather wear my heart on the sleeve of this thrift store t-shirt
It reads "Jesus is my Home-boy"
I used the money I saved to build a sandbox
Got back to my childhood
God it feels good to be dirty again
Almost as good as it feels to be clean again
I'm keeping this dirt under my fingernails though
Keeping it to remind me that I was once unclean too
And most days I still am.

Socialism should be a virtue, not an economic structure.

It doesn't surprise me that Socialism has come to have such a negative connotation among many in our society, especially within religious circles. It's affiliation with various villainous dictators in history with their often ethnocentric, close-minded beliefs serves to disenfranchise people at face value. If we take the time however, to see what Socialism, as it stands on its' own, freed from the shackles of the tryannical philosophies of their historical proponents, we may not cringe the next time we hear the word used in political discourse. Before you start picketing and calling me a "Liberal, communist loving, hippy" hear me out. I agree that Socialism is a bad economic structure. I don't think that people should be forced to share their income with others based on government imposed law. After all, God gave us free will. The concept behind Socialism is to create an egalitarian society, where access to resources is equal for all. Yeah, I Wikipediaed that shit. Economic equality may be achieved, but i'm skeptical that Socialism would create social equality. Sharing and giving cannot be forced, but need to be done with compassion, otherwise the result will be bitterness. But Socialism as a virtue is an entirely different thing. Socialism should be a virtue practiced by all who claim to follow Jesus. It breaks my heart to know that people including myself, can claim to be Christian or the recently popularized term "Jesus Followers," yet be so blatantly opposed to the idea that we should share with those less fortunate. We were charged to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, and visit the prisoners. Socialism is an economic system that is trying to implement a structure that would provide a way of doing two out of those three, yet most Christians shudder when they hear it. Something is fundamentally wrong here. We've gotten off track.

"According to the Federal Reserve, in 1990 the richest 1 percent of America owned 40 percent of its' wealth -- the greatest level of inequality among all rich nations, and the worst in U.S. history since the Roaring Twenties. Furthermore, the richest 20 percent owned 80 percent of America -- meaning, of course, that the bottom four-fifths of all Americans owned only one fifth of its wealth."

These statistics are disconcerting to say the least. Imagine what would happen if we practiced compassion for our neighbors. God promised us that there was enough on this earth for everyone. It seems that there is more than enough. Sadly something has gone wrong and instead of sharing the bounty, the priveledged hoard it. Sometimes I wish, that like fruit left out too long, money went bad; that it would rot and fall away so that stockpiling money would be as absurd as stockpiling bananas. No offense DK. Maybe then people would be more apt to share. I think Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, says it best.

"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared."

Alexi Murdoch - "Orange Sky"

This is one of those songs that you discover at just the right time. I thought it was beautiful the first time I heard it, but it later came to have deeper meaning for me. Songs are like seeds in that way. They wait earnestly for the perfect time when all the conditions are right. And then it happens. Life. Growth. Beauty. So this is for someone who needs a seed. Grace, love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgNDWKq0alE&feature=related

The Great Divorce

I just finished reading a beautiful book by C.S. Lewis titled "The Great Divorce." As always Lewis has found a way to bring me back to God. Those of you who have read C.S. Lewis will know what I mean. His words and ideas are dripping with truth. This is an excerpt from "The Great Divorce" that weighed on me in the way that only truth can.

"That's what we all find when we reach this country, that we've all been wrong. That's the great joke. There's no need to go on pretending one was right. After that, we begin living."

- C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce

It seems as though that's what we're all doing at times. Pretending we're right. Pretending the solitude that comes from ostracizing others to maintain our egos is worth it. Lewis refers to pride as the greatest sin. Although sins are all equal, I think Lewis means greatest in the sense that pride is the root evil behind so many other sins. To stop pretending starts with being honest with oneself, so that we can be honest with others. So I start the daunting task of being aware of my own flaws and brokenness, before judging others. This is day one.