The Rialto

The stage is empty, the shadows grow dark
Lines go unspoken, but still leave their mark
Silver spun cobwebs where curtains were drawn
No more performers, but the show must go on
Dim the lights of the house, strike up the band
Bring in the choir on my command
Ladies and Gentlemen: may we present
Me, the magnificent and heaven sent
Applause fills the room, the audience roars
They call out my name and cry out, “Encore!”
My incessant twirling stirs up the dust
And I’m soon reminded of the decay and rust
This sure was the theatre back in its day
Pardon my interruption, I’ll leave it that way

The Poem

Have you ever tried to write a poem
That takes on a life of its own
Meter won’t fall as you intend
It runs away with you again
The pen seems to move on its own
Across the paper seeds are sown
Of new adventures yet to take
And promises you’ve yet to make

Before you know what’s happening
The humming rhyme begins to sing
And everything you thought you knew
Evaporates like morning dew
So with a sigh you press your luck
You must contend or else get stuck
Therefore surrender’s emanate
Write it all down or you’ll forget

The Wall

Bricks of pain and disappointment are glued together with thick layers of betrayal. Deep wounds heal over as an impenetrable scar. The impermeable plastic of recognizance dissolves every connection. A protective force field emanates beyond the fortified structure.

Where does beauty lie? How can passion take hold? There are no boundaries to abandonment or borders in vulnerability. Where there is no room for chaos, there is no place for freedom.

Harsh, hard, cold, unfeeling, these are not the man I know. Calm, caring, patient, compassionate, these decorate your soul. But there is distance beyond the surface. And a stone occupies the core. Not a rock, but a gem, shimmering and brilliant in the light.

I’m obsessed and addicted to the wonder that extends beyond my grasp. Bars of fear keep me contained. The past has dug a trench around my future. So I wait and watch helplessly as your sphere glides beyond mine, fading into the distance.

Is there really no hope for intimacy? Why would such a rare and precious possibility be discarded? Explore new realms of the unknown. Engage the livelihood of risk and danger. Enter the sweet seduction of blessed youth and fervent nature. Give me love. Give me loss. Give me life beyond the wall.

The Door

Why would I want to walk through another open door?
I know there’s a trap door behind it.
As soon as I walk through I fall through the floor.
And I am so tired of falling.

But the promise of new life keeps spurring me on.
I continue to hope when all hope is gone.
I believe there’s a blessing to be found someday.
I can’t keep on living unless I live by faith.

Why do I ignore when opportunity knocks
if I truly believe I will find it?
I’m not able to break through the series of locks
when I hear opportunity calling.

But the light of a new day keeps shining through
and igniting desire for what I might do.
Somewhere a bright future is waiting for me.
So in my dark hour I will wait and believe.

Why am I reaching for another door knob?
Experience says I can’t turn it.
There is no way I can finish the job
while disappointment has me stalling.
But the voice of a new song keeps singing to me
a sweet inspiration of all I can be.
No looking back, put the past in its place.
Don’t rely on your own strength, rely upon grace.

Why should I pass through limited restrictions
when there’s nothing to be gained by it?
I admit I’m confused by such contradictions.
Access is not obtained by revolving.

But the peace in my soul keeps overflowing.
And the love I’ve been shown is what keeps me going.
To be helpful and needed is all I’m looking for.
So without hesitation let’s proceed to the door.

Ride the Wave

Overcome mediocrity
You can ride the wave
Make the wave
Or be swept away by the wave

This is what gets me jazzed
Paving the way of the future
Setting a new precedent
Forming the prototype
Molding the model
Forward thinking

Dare to be different
Embrace the unknown
Step out of the box
Go beyond the absurd and unrealistic
Dream big
Enter an unestablished era
Break free from conventional methods
Lead the curve of transition

I’m right at the cusp of a complete breakthrough
I can feel it in every ounce of my being
It’s so exciting
And I am looking forward to the ride

My Desire

This I pray
Give me strength for another day
Re-build my confidence by showing me the areas where I excel
And reassuring me when I fail
That I’m the child whom You will always love no matter how many times I fall
However many tears I cry from weary eyes or broken heart, You’ve seen them all
Help me not be timid or afraid
But filled with Your grace

The one thing that I need now at the end of my rope
Hope
Embers may seem to be dying, but they keep the fire in my soul alive
Somehow I still manage to survive
It must be Your love

That’s all I can think of
Fill my mind with You
Make me a reflection of all that is pure, holy and true
May I be faithful and grateful to the end
Amen

The Last Slice

Lips break around sharp curves
as the moisture leaks from the undeserved
intensity that can hardly wait
to seal the watermelon's fate
The Last Slice

Me

I won’t take it On blind faith
I don’t care Who says it always has to be this way
I won’t follow The sheep herd
I don’t care Where they are
Where they’re going Or where they were
I won’t take the time To understand
I don’t care What they want or what they’re trying to demand
I won’t give them What they expect - I don’t care
What things I haven’t gotten to Or finished yet
My passion - My standard
My chastisement - My reward
My freedom - My pursuit
My morale - My virtue
You can’t take me - You can’t make me
I’m not like you - I won’t try to be
I gotta take each step in the light of love
I gotta heed the voice only I know of
I gotta stay true to myself and what I believe
That’s what’s makes me
Me

CMF

Calling me out of the desert
Holding out new life to me
Risking my foolish behavior
In searching for who I might be
Sealed in Your love
Torn by this world
Is it for everyone
Except for this girl

Maybe I’ll arrive
Almost been there before
Reaching for the sky
I’m believing for more
Even while I’m lost in the thorns

Forget what lies behind
Embrace what lies in store
Open up your eyes
Look for a miracle
Anything is possible

ADL

After the sun sets
Beyond the horizon
And the wind dies down
Blowing no more
Calm is the ocean
Down at the end of the shore
Casually lapping
Dancing forever more

Evening is here now
Far away is the dawn
Endlessly in motion
From then and for now on
Gone is the laughter
How it echoed in the caves
Going are the seagulls
High above each seldom wave

In and out of darkness
Jumping with each sound
Is the miniature river
Just barely on the ground
Keeping with the rhythm
Low is the rumbling tune
Killing the bright loudness
Left from the afternoon

Perfect People

Quit looking at your weakness
take your strengths into account
Quit taking them for granted
now it’s time to live them out
There is always someone better
and there’s always someone worse
We’re all at different levels
that’s what makes our lives diverse
We are working toward improvement
as a divine plan’s unfurled
You’d think it would be obvious
there are no perfect people in this world

You Move Me

You came up behind me
Put your hand on my shoulder
Like no time had passed
Though we’re sixteen years older – now
Chalk it to bad timing
To fate or destiny
A novel romance
That’s completely escaped me – somehow
One look in your eyes
My thoughts are compromised
A hunger and yearning
Desperately discerning
A bit disconcerting, unrealized
One touch upon my skin
Gives way to what’s within
Crying anxiously
For your warmth inside me
A passionate plea, begins
You move me without saying a word
You speak to me though no voice is heard
You remind me, like the passage of time
There’s no boundary for the scene in my mind
Please come back and make
My dream become my reality

Breathe

Each day I breathe
Breathe in, breathe out
Inhale the Spirit
Exhale my doubt

Oh what a great
Constant reminder
Of whom I’m in
And who I am under

Each day I breathe
Breathe out, breathe in
Inhale Your love
Exhale my sin

Body

Human Unit
Often called living
A mental creation
Physical formation
Works as a building
Structure

Is Your Love

Softer than a whisper, You call my name to me
Brighter than a glimmer, shining on the blue sea
Warmer than the sunlight, cooler than the moon glow
Older than all of time, newer than a virgin snow
Is Your love, is Your love, is Your love for me

More welcoming than winter’s bliss
to see Your face smiling at me
Much sweeter than a summer’s kiss embracing for eternity
Is Your love, is Your love, is Your love for me

Smoother than the stillness, You consume my last breath
Bigger than the emptiness, absolutely endless
Higher than my song will rise, truer than I’ll ever show
Clearer than expansive skies, greater than I’ll ever know
Is Your love, is Your love, is Your love for me

Unholy Trinity

My body’s trying to kill me
Tries to put me under
The flesh is barely breathing
But it still roars like thunder

My mind is trying to blight me
Tries to make me blunder
Doubts rise up within me
Causing me to wonder

My soul’s trying to steer me
Tries to be a blind guide
Desires compete intensely
Sending me on a wild ride

But my spirit tries to still me
Tries to calm me inside
So this unholy trinity
Can’t steal my peace and quiet

I'll Keep You in My Heart

You think no one understands
the pain you’re going through
but I have walked that road before
I have been there too
And I know you’ll never make it
if you stand out on your own
but there’s a friend calling to you
You don’t have to walk alone

You pretend to be happy
and you say you’re doing fine
but I can see your misery
by the tears you leave behind
I recognize your anger
and I’ve felt your emptiness
But there’s a friend who can fill your heart
if you would just confess
And every time I think of you
I say another prayer
that one day I will see you and
find Jesus living there

So I’ll keep you in my heart
and I will pray for you
because I love my Savior
and I know you need Him too
You don’t have to wait another day
He’ll meet you where you are
So until you give your life away
I’ll keep you in my heart

Where Your Heart Is

I lived in a place called denial, unwilling to face
the truth, angered, frustrated and broken
not knowing what I should do. I kept running around
in circles, thinking I could if I tried
long enough, hard enough, maybe
I wouldn’t be living a lie. I knew if I just worked harder
someday I’d finally arrive. If only my resolve
were stronger, I’d do more than merely survive.

But the dream I was eagerly chasing
seemed further and further away.
Life’s too demanding, the doors were all slamming each day.
I died in pity and sorrow, eventually losing control.
The grip I thought I had mastered
actually never did hold. Not one single ounce
of compassion, not even a small drop of love
only my selfish ambition – is all that I had plenty of.
Purely out of desperation, I cried out to You for help.
I need to learn to let go of the fear
and stop thinking of only myself.

Please teach me how to be patient.
Please show me what I must do
to leave the cares of this world far behind
and instead only seek after You.

For where your heart is, there your treasure lies
and the truth lives deep within your life
and there is no way to disguise what’s real deep inside.
There is no reason for being, apart from receiving
Your love, so I’ll step out in faith believing
that in You I’m more than enough.
For where Your heart is, that’s where my treasure lies
and Your truth lives, revealed within my life.
And there is no way to hide what I now realize.
Love is where Your heart is.

More Than Enough

I am Your poetry. Lord, write Your Word in me
until I’m a perfect reflection of you.
I am Your own design. Lord, live Your life through mine
until I’ve finished all You’d have me to do.
I am Your piece of art. Lord, break my world apart
until I’m willing to humbly bow.
I am Your tapestry. Lord, weave Your will in me
until I have what You have for me now.
I am Your jar of clay. Lord, mold me in Your way
until I serve the use for which I was made.
I am Your precious jewel. Lord, use me as Your tool
to shine Your holy light into this dark place.
But how can I shine Your light if I hide in the dark?
I can’t share Your love if I won’t share my heart.
It’s a mystery. I know You made me.
So why is it that’s not enough,
when it’s always been more than enough?
I have what You have for me.

PS-4

Answer me when I call to You
Be merciful and hear my prayer
Give me relief from my distress
Oh mighty God, I know You’re there

Other men turn glory to shame
They seek delusions for so long
But I pursue beauty and truth
And turn to You to right what’s wrong

In your anger do not sin
Be silent and search your heart

My heart is filled with greater joy
Than when new grain and wine abound
Because Your light shines down on me
And Your goodness in me is found

Lord, You alone will keep me safe
I worship You down on my knees
Since You have numbered all my days
I will lie down and sleep in peace

Reason

Give me a reason to seek love – to embrace life
Give me a meaning for my words to make sense
And not merely babble dribbling from my hand

Give me a chance – to be alive – to be free
Give me a moment to breathe in the air
And not merely exist but to thrive

Give me a melody – to dance and to sing
Give me your blessing to be who I was made to be
And not merely a carbon-copy image of expectation

Give me a desire to long for and aspire to
So that I may be no longer lost in a field of possibilities

For the Moment

Shaken, but not stirred
Hazy, but not blurred
Keep sight of the vision
For you’re on a mission

Know it or not
Each action and thought
Is another step taken
In the life you’re makin’

So fall, but get up
Feel anger and love
Embrace every quotient
And live for the moment