Take Me Away

The scenery seems so familiar, I know I’ve passed this way before

Details have changed, but the big picture is just the same as it was before

My life has been an automatic reaction to each stimulation

Lasting idiosyncratic responses to my situation

And I, I need a break

So take me away to a distant shore

Where my past can’t tell my future anymore

Take me away to where I need to be

For my imagination to become reality

In a new way, free me today, take me away

Another peak, another valley, when will I find level ground

Ups and downs continue at me like riding on a wave of sound

Ceaseless motion goes in circles, a record player on repeat

The notion of endless rehearsals always gets the best of me

And I’m about to break

Take me away to a distant shore

Where my past can’t tell my future anymore

Take me away to where I need to be

For my imagination to become reality

In a new way, free me today, take me away

Take me from this life I know where chains of emptiness take hold

Enslaving me to the status quo, I’m ready to find streets of gold

So take me away to a distant shore

Where my past can’t tell my future anymore

Take me away to where I need to be

For my imagination to become reality

In a new way, free me today, take me away

Merrily

Life will always take you where you need to go, all you need to do is to merrily row. Quit fighting the current, let life take you down stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, live the life of your dreams.

I Want to Know You

Do I know you? There’s something in your eyes that seems familiar

A glimmer in your smile to consider

Do I know you, or do I just want to?

Do I know you? There’s something in your touch making me shiver

A message in your movements to deliver

Do I know you?

I can see you firmly in my future. I don’t care if I knew you in the past

I want to know you more and know you presently

I want to know you more and make it last

Do I know you? Or is it my mind playing tricks on me

A figment of my own imagination

Do I know you, or do I just want to?

Do I know you? Or is it an illusion that I see?

A distant mirage of my own construction

Is it really you?

Cause I can see you firmly in my future. I don’t care if I knew you in the past

I want to know you more and know you presently

I want to know you more and make it last

If only I could know and know for certain

That I could know you and truly be known

Then I could take your hand and lead you into me

Open my heart and let it be your home

For I can see you firmly in my future. I don’t care if I knew you in the past

I want to know you more and know you presently

I want to know you more and make it last

I don’t care if I knew you before somehow

I want to know you

I want to know you now

I Wish the Wind Would Blow

This house is not the same now
This house is not a home
Without your spirit here to fill it
It's a pile of dead, dry bones
And I can't go on without you
I feel just like dust in the wind
So I throw my care up in the air
And say let the storm begin

I wish the wind would blow right through me
I wish the wind would blow me through
I wish the wind of change would get me
And blow me back to you
I wish the seasons led me back
To the world I used to know
I wish, I wish the wind would get me
I wish, I wish the wind would blow

I gaze out my window
And I watch tumbleweeds twirl
They blow right past and tumble fast
Without a care in the world
And the sands blow from the desert
Fill the air like the world's on fire
I want to join their ride, so I step outside
And beg the wind to take me higher

I wish the wind would blow right through me
I wish the wind would blow me through
I wish the wind of change would get me
And blow me back to you
I wish the seasons led me back
To the world I used to know
I wish, I wish the wind would get me
I wish, I wish the wind would blow

Yeah the wind can whip in heavy
It can turn or it can stay
And it don't care if you're ready
The wind will carry you away

I wish the wind would blow right through me
I wish the wind would blow me through
I wish the wind of change would get me
And blow me back to you
I wish the seasons led me back
To the world I used to know
I wish, I wish the wind would get me
I wish, I wish the wind would blow

Falling into Love

I look into your eyes, and my heart begins to smile

I reach out for your hand, and my stomach leaps a mile

It's not what I had planned, and I never dared to think

But I can't deny it now, I know what's happening

I'm falling into love, falling into the dream

Where it's only you and I, with no one in between

I'm falling into love, falling into the dream

Where it's only you and I, with no one in between

I look up at you in the early morning light

And I can't believe what we came to last night

It was better than imagined in a fantasy

And I still cannot fathom this is happening to me

I'm falling into love, falling into the dream

Where it's only you and I, with no one in between

I'm falling into love, falling into the dream

Where it's only you and I, with no one in between

All this time I thought, love was just in fairy tales

But now it's come up over me, out of nowhere

I'm falling into love, falling into the dream

Where it's only you and I, with no one in between

I'm falling into love, falling into the dream

Where it's only you and I, with no one in between

Without Thee

Oh how my body aches, yearns, and desires thee

Oh how my mouth is wretched and dry without thy kiss

Oh how my mind spins, my gut sprawls, my bosom chastens

Oh how my life lies incomplete without thee

You Won't Give Up on Me

I hang on Your promise, each and every word

I believe the truth within the message I have heard

I wait on Your timing, for You to lead the way

Yet I still get discouraged, You can hear it when I pray…when I say

Lord, I don’t feel hopeful, I don’t see Your plan

It feels like nothing’s happening, and I don’t understand

I thought You would move mountains, I thought You’d part the sea

Yet I don’t feel You moving in my life miraculously

I’m tired of being patient and waiting endlessly

But I won’t give up on You because You won’t give up on me

I step out without knowing, if I’m going anywhere

I want to be strong enough and be able to share

I have gifts and talents I can use to bless the world

Yet I get disappointed, you know I’m just a scared little girl when I say

Lord, I don’t feel grateful, I don’t see Your plan

It feels like nothing’s happening, and I don’t understand

I thought You would move mountains, I thought You’d part the sea

Yet I don’t feel You moving in my life miraculously

I’m tired of being patient and waiting endlessly

But I won’t give up on You because You won’t give up on me

It might take me fifty years, it may take until I die

Still I’ll keep on believing, even when I’m feeling like…when I say

Lord, I don’t feel anything, I don’t see Your plan

It feels like nothing’s happening, and I don’t understand

I haven’t felt the mountains move or walked right through the sea

But I won’t give up on You because You won’t give up on me

The Pianist

Eventually the truth leaked to my lover

Zipped my lower lip but not the upper

Chaos ensued

Contention proved

He can’t have one without the other

Forced to concede my nameless plight

Headlining on the stage tonight

Ended unwell

Despondent hell

Hiding within the ivory’s flight

Verbal Suicide

We fight forever, all through the night

We stay together just to prove who’s right and who’s wrong, not like it matters

We go to war over interference

What we fight for makes no difference anymore, so long as we can

Beat down each other with words we don’t mean

Go for the jugular while making a scene – it’s not right, war isn’t on our side

We cut down each other most feverishly

We fall short of murder only technically – when we fight, it’s verbal suicide

You’d think we’d learn, we’re making a mess

You’d think when we’re wrong, we would confess, but we don’t, that’d be too easy

Instead we dig in and prepare to die

You’d think we’d give up our battle cry, but we won’t, we continue

To beat down each other with words we don’t mean

Go for the jugular while making a scene – it’s not right, war isn’t on our side

We hurt each other more than anyone else

Don’t we realize we’re only hurting ourselves – when we fight, it’s verbal suicide

We used to care, we used to love

Now we just beat each other up

We used to dream, we used to live

Now we just refuse to forgive

And we beat down each other with words we don’t mean

Go for the jugular while making a scene – it’s not right, war isn’t on our side

Until death do us part, this is what we get

I’m surprised we haven’t killed each other yet – when we fight, it’s verbal suicide

When we fight, it’s verbal suicide

Her Own

He wants to run

He wants to hide

Tries to escape

His shattered life

He calls her tramp

He calls her whore

Hoping he’ll soon

Love her no more

He fights the hurt

He fights the pain

Tries to prevail

But all in vain

She does not hear

She does not turn

She remains

A framed picture

Get the Job Done

She’s just a little promiscuous

But she keeps her intentions inconspicuous

She flies under the radar like a bird headed south

But I know what she needs before she opens her mouth

She needs a hot-blooded man who knows how to please

She needs it well worth the effort to get down on her knees

She needs a mover and a shaker who knows how to have fun

Yeah, she needs a man who can get the job done

She might play a little hard to get

But she hasn’t met a man like me yet

When I see what I want, I don’t mess around

Yeah, I’m a country boy who likes to go downtown

Cause I’m a hot-blooded man who knows how to please

I make it well worth the effort to get down on your knees

I’m a mover and a shaker and I like to have fun

Yeah, I’m a man who can get the job done

She’s like a bottomless tank diesel pick-up truck

She needs a man who can fill her up

I’m like a service station with an extra-long hose

I can get the job done, every country girl knows

I’m a hot-blooded man who knows how to please

I make it well worth the effort to get down on your knees

I’m a mover and a shaker and I like to have fun

Yeah, I’m a man who can get the job done

A mover and shaker who knows how to have fun

I’m just a man who can get the job done

Her Fat Dress

The broken blue checkerboard drives the eyes wild

Green and gray threads mingle deception

A crazy, mazy pattern emerges

Her cheesecake binge magnificently hidden

Safe

A fire alarm

Red and Bright

With a blue strobe Light

Flashing

Free to Love

It was not my intention  

                                       but

                                            I love you

You might not want to hear this

                                                      but

                                                            I love you

You enjoy your footloose freedom 

                                                             but

                                                                  I love you

So I let you go 

                      because

                                  I love you

Diamonds

You are a diamond in the rough 

Leaving a trail of diamond dust 

As you are carved and chipped away 

And cut into a unique shape 

Chosen especially for you 

To shine God's light in all you do.

PS3

How many are my foes

They mock and they tease

But You break the wicked

Strike down my enemies

You are a shield around me

The lifter of my head

Though thousands come against me

I look to You instead

Send Me

Send me away

Send me with you

Send me to where all of my dreams come true

Bring me a way

Bring me along

Bring me to where I can be lost in song

Hold me today

Hold me real close

Hold me exactly when I need it most

Loosen my grip

Loosen control

Loosen my desire to become whole

Send me some hope

Send me a sign

Send me a life I’ll be proud to call mine

Bring me some peace

Hold me now please

Loosen my care

Send me somewhere

CPR

Create Personal Reality

Counting Purple Rocks

Contemplate Perfect Roses

Carry Poetic Reasons

Continue Pale Ramblings

Reborn

If everything I do
If everything you see
Suddenly disappeared
What would be left of me?
If the pencil on the paper
Somehow got erased
Would there be an impression
Left there in its place?
If my sanity lifted
And I was not in my right mind
Would there still be anything
Of me left behind?
I am not mere particles
Pressed together in a form
I am but a messenger
In every heart reborn

Christie

her mind is Constantly thinking – turning, the fire within

her Heart is burning, her sweet spirit Rises – lifting, she Inspires with

her gifting, singing lovely Songs – rewritten, always True, endlessly smitten, creating Interest with

her smiles – gleaming, everyone Else thinks she’s dreaming

I Am a Shadow

I am a shadow of my current self. No longer the girl who used to love to play and run and dance and dream. No longer the young woman who dared to hope, who thought life worth pursuing. I am the cool chill seeping into the heart when the air is still and thick with obligation. Placing a higher value on clothing my children and keeping them fed and warm than having fun and doing what I love. I am the pouring rain when the head is drooped and unwelcoming. Joy has been drowned, anticipation suffocated. I am what I should be instead of what I could be. For I was taught to work hard and not to work well. I was told to be strong, not to be courageous. I knew goodness was reserved for those who were lucky, the winners, the gregarious, the chosen. I am not one of the blessed few. I am cloud cover, blocking rays, defusing light, withholding brightness in a haze of condensation. Unfulfilled potential at every turn. I keep it locked inside of me because I live in the darkness, lonely and afraid. My familiar prison, my one comfort. Finding importance in busyness. Always running, never getting anything done. Feeling special with acquisitions. Possessions in a continual state of decay. Where I place value, what I hold dear, determined by shifting patterns in the weather. I give perception power over me. I bow to every tide. I am but a shadow now. No matter, no substance. Just the result of something other than me deciding my direction, determining my fate. So I gradually fade away and disappear with the sun.

Press On

When life is quickly passing by, and all you want to do is cry, just look your pain square in the eye, and press on again, soon it will end, hold on til then, and press on, press on, 

press on, again. 

Writhing

Bitten by reality, its poison pulses throughout me
It circulates around my heart until my whole life falls apart
Why can’t I live inside my mind and leave the mortal world behind
Instead of drudging through each day where other forms get in the way
Is what I wish too much to ask to slip away and not look back
The “real” and “known” I would forsake to wither from this formidable snake

PS1

Blessed is the man who walks

Not in the counsel of the wicked

But in the way of righteousness

May his head be lifted

He who thinks of You each day

And dreams of Your love every night

May he not be put to shame

But find in You his true delight

Prosper the path of the godly

Make his way to be secure

May each fruit yield in its season

For Your love will always endure

A Rose

A rose was given to her as she

Arose from her seat and made her way forward

A road stretched out before her

A rote ambition was stifling

I wrote the same scenario before

I rode her beyond her breaking point

I rose to claim my seeming victory

A rose was then given to me

That's What's So Amazing

All the successes for which I strive, my selfish ambitions in and out with the tide

I just want to earn every penny I make, deserve the reward for each action I take

That’s how the world works; it’s cause and effect, and it’s the very system I need to reject

But the concept of grace, something given for free; it confuses my brain and it mystifies me

God’s Rewards At Christ’s Expense, it simply doesn’t make any sense

Nothing to prove before I receive, You only ask that I believe

There’s no check-marks or stars on my chart, there’s no scores written down on my score card

Everything I know does an about-face, that’s what’s so amazing about grace

I work to get the things I have and work even harder when times get bad

Stretching the limits of my own strength and pushing myself to greater lengths

Worn out and tired is all I get, and don’t forget to complain about it

But grace gives work an effortless peace, I can trust instead of worrying

God’s Resting At Christ’s Expense, it simply doesn’t make any sense

Nothing to prove before I receive, You only ask that I believe

There’s no kind of effort ever can be enough, to acquire unconditional love

Everything I know does an about-face, that’s what’s so amazing about grace

There’s so much in life I try to control, slipping through the fist of my desperate hold

Stress gets me down, and it gets me down good when nothing goes the way I think that it should

Of course I know better, have it all figured out, nothing comes to those who doubt

But grace is the ability to let go, to get out of the way and let God’s goodness flow

God’s Reassurance At Christ’s Expense, it simply doesn’t make any sense

Nothing to prove before I receive, You only ask that I believe

There’s no job too big, no concern too small, You have the perfect plan for them all

Everything I know does an about-face, that’s what’s so amazing about grace

Frozen

The sky grows dark, and the storm clouds thicken

As winter descends, and the air goes chill

Summertime was brief, now the sun light’s hidden

And the tundra of my heart is still

Frozen

A solid chunk of ice

My heart is frozen

It shows no signs of life

Existing too long in the shadows

Been neglected and lost battles

Drained of hope and joy is distant

There are no marks of resistance

No beating, no sense of rhythm

Not even trying to get hidden

Frozen

Unsaved

As the feet plod along the ever deepening grooves
And the hands wring songs until the flesh wears through
I only do all that I know to do in the darkness of my cave
I am a splintered chance. I am a wayward clown
I don’t even dance when there’s no one around
And I only take what I’ve already found in the weakness of my days
As the heart explodes when expectations burst
And the mind erodes from its unsatisfied thirst
So the illness goes from bad to worse when there’s nothing left to save
I am a mournful dirge. I am a smile up-side-down
I fall through the dirt into a pit in the ground
As the hummingbird sings without making a sound, following my ways
As the flowers grow on the top of my head
Finally buried, though long ago dead
No memories, but regret instead accompanies me to my grave

Breaking the Frame

Falling from heaven, the me I constructed

From glitter and paper Mache

Don’t mean to sound bitter, and I’m not a quitter

But it’s just not who I am today

The color and sparkle, ended in debacle

The chasing around having fun

Was good while it lasted, but now it has past and

I’ll pass it on now that I’m done

I’m breaking the frame, I’m walking away

I’m gonna go look for what else I need

I’m jumping the track, I’m not looking back

Don’t tell me who I’m supposed to be

I gotta be free

Coming round full circle, back to where I started

Only I’m a bit wiser this time

Not changing direction or reaching perfection

But I’ll certainly take what is mine

The games and the pretense never made any sense

But I fit myself to the mold

I met expectations, greeted celebrations

Now I’m tired of doing what I’m told

I’m breaking the frame, I’m walking away

I’m gonna go look for what else I need

I’m jumping the track, I’m not looking back

Don’t tell me who I’m supposed to be

I gotta be free

Don’t wanna be a jerk yet, I’m not picture perfect

So quit trying to make me be

Just so there’s no confusion, my image was illusion

It never was reality

So I’m breaking the frame, I’m walking away

I’m gonna go look for what else I need

I’m jumping the track, I’m not looking back

Don’t tell me who I’m supposed to be

I gotta be free

It's Okay

It’s okay to be sad once in a while

It’s okay to be blue from time to time

It’s okay to have pain; it’s okay to complain

When not everything’s fine, fine, fine

It’s okay to shed tears when losing a love

It’s okay to have fears, everyone does

Yeah it’s okay to frown; it’s okay to fall down

So long as you get back up, up, up

It’s okay to behave unbecoming

It’s okay to make a fool of yourself

It’s okay to attack; it’s okay to react

When you’re protecting yourself, self, self

It’s okay to place blame when you’re confused

It’s okay to refrain when you feel used

Yeah it’s okay to shout, okay to let it all out

Doesn’t mean you have to lose, lose, lose

So it’s okay if you feel tired

It’s okay if you want to cry

It’s alright to say, that you’ve had a hard day

Doesn’t mean you have to die, die, die

Cause it’s okay to be sad

More than every once in a while

You’re still valuable; you’re still beautiful

Even when you don’t smile, smile, smile

For it’s only temporary sorrow and it’s only momentary grief

Every mountain has a valley, every pinnacle has a relief

Every season has it’s changes, all the cycles that we go through

And it’s all a part of the journey, who we are and what we do

So cherish every memory, accept both the good times and bad

Don’t regret a single moment, for you don’t get any back

Wherever I Go

Surrounded by the walls closing in on me

Crushed beneath the weight of missed opportunity

Rehearsing my mistakes and all the could have beens

Wish that I could run away from all the mess I’m in

But wherever I go, there I am again

Each time I try to change I end up back where I begin

And it’s a long and lonely road for me

Nothing as far as the eye can see

Just wandering aimlessly through a sea of sand

Do I dare believe there’s a Promised Land?

Buried by regrets over what I haven’t done

Wasting time away isn’t helping anyone

But how do I escape when I feel dead inside

I want to be free, it’s not like I haven’t tried

But wherever I go, there I am again

Each time I try to change I end up back where I begin

And it’s a heavy heart full of misery to bear

Something that I can’t explain, but I take it everywhere

Just wondering what to believe when I don’t understand

Do I dare to think there’s a Promised Land?

Tortured by my thoughts and by everything I feel

I give them power over me as if they are what’s real

But Your love is waiting for me if I will receive

I don’t have to change, You only ask that I believe

For wherever I go, there You are with me

I have nothing to fear, for You are everything I need

And it’s like a new day dawning when the sky is filled with light

When I see Your Spirit rising and shining through my life

Just wonderful to be held securely in Your hand 

And finally realizing this is Your Promised Land

For wherever I go, there I am again

Forever in Your presence in a life that never ends

Yes

My life was lived with unclean lips and dirty hands and vanity trips

My world revolved around little ol’ me
My own opinion was all I could see

Then lightening flashed inside my head
And I heard a sound I’ll never forget

He said go, tell everyone to repent
Tell my children I love them, you could say I was sent

I said yes, that’s all it took
Then the whole earth trembled and the heavens shook

My life was turned upside down that day
Nothing has ever been the same

God said go, He said go, and I said yes

When I asked how long I would be serving this way
He said until your body reaches the grave

When I wondered what would be expected of me
He said to overcome every impossibility

Like to be strong and be not afraid
But it can only be done by the power of My grace

I said yes, that’s all it took
Then the whole earth trembled and the heavens shook

My life was turned upside down that day
Nothing has ever been the same

God said go, He said go, and I said yes

I said yes. No matter where I had to go
No matter what I had to say

No matter what I had to do
No matter what I had to face

I said yes, that’s all it took
Then the whole earth trembled and the heavens shook

My life was turned upside down that day
Nothing has ever been the same

God said go, He said go, and I said yes

Peace, Be Still

Be still and know that I am God, I am here, I am never far, I am with you. Be still and know that you are loved, never fear, and never give up, I’ll deliver you. But still you know you have to do your part, for me to move you need to still your heart.

Peace, be still, is what He told me, Peace, be still, then He came to hold me. He washed my tears away and gave me a brand new day with Peace, be still.

Be still and trust upon my Name, My power, the goodness of My ways, I’m for you. Be still I will be the same, this hour, forever and always, I promise you. But still you know you have to do your part, for me to move you need to still your heart.

Peace, be still, is what He told me, Peace, be still, then He came to hold me. He washed my tears away and gave me a brand new day with Peace, be still.

This is the one command I’ve given you, acknowledge me in everything you do, lay down your life, follow me and receive, all I ask of you is to believe.

Peace, be still, is what He told me, Peace, be still, then He came to hold me. He washed my tears away and gave me a brand new day with Peace, be still.

A Living Sacrifice

I didn’t get what I wanted. It may not ever be. 

My heart’s deepest desire, I might never see. 

Will I still be grateful? Will I humbly serve 

If there’s no way I’ll ever take what I think I deserve? 

Is my true love conditional? Are there stipulations which must be met 

Before I’ll give my all? Is my free gift to be withheld? 

Are there strings attached to my offering? Will I pretend that I can’t tell? 

I may not know how or who or what or when or why or wherefore but 

You request a living sacrifice upon the alter of my life. 

You didn’t meet my expectations or fulfill my perceived vow. 

I’ve been disappointed. So what will I do now? 

Will I stay committed? Will I run away? 

If I’m consumed by these concerns, am I wasting today? 

Is my whole world coming undone? 

Am I too lost in my own thinking for ever helping anyone? 

Is my intent not good enough? 

Are the promises I thought you made referring to other stuff? 

I may not know how or who or what or when or why or wherefore but 

You request a living sacrifice upon the alter of my life. 

All the excuses I can make cannot replace the path I take. 

The choice will always rest with me, and I decide extensively 

To be a living sacrifice upon the alter of my life. 

So what if I didn’t get what I wanted.

ToDie

I tried to do recovery on my own

But it doesn’t go well when you’re lost and alone

Others around me served to amplify

My own blank expression and emptiness inside

I began to go backward and was losing ground

From having too little up for how far I went down

My friends were fair weather and family too far

To help meet my needs when I fell below par

So I simply slid deeper down into the pit

With no reassurance there was a way out of it

And life kept on ticking tick ticking away

As the present was lost in a blur called today

I feel helpless and hopeless with nothing to give

But I don’t want to die before I ever live

My Picture

I have a picture of you on my wall

My beautiful Daughter, I love you above all

The one perfect thing I’ve ever done in my life

Was to bring you into the world to be a new light

And to see you smiling fills my heart with joy

There’s a pride swelling within me, nothing can destroy

All I ever want more than any other prize

Is to see your love ignite and shine in your eyes

I know you’ll make mistakes and take a few wrong turns

Get lost a time or two, but that’s how you learn

And I’ll still be here, any time you’re in need

The call of my life is to help you succeed

Every time you fall, my heart is filled with tears

But I’ll help you get strong again, there’s no need to fear

All I ever need more than anything by far

Is for you to believe and know just how loved you are

Makes me want to cry, when I see my love in you

Reflected in all the things that you do

And if I love my child, though I’m weak and small

How much more is God’s love for me

My picture’s hanging on His wall