Morning Crows

The crows come early here
on the mountain,
arriving between 6 and 7,
like an invading army,
complete with advance scouts,
privates and generals,
a secret society of mystic warriors,
ancient and old,
wise beyond wisdom and words;

they like the shelled peanuts the best.

The days pass by,
the ball of fire
inside my chest grows,
choking breath and life,
I search for strength,
wondering how much longer,
how much further,
but it passes just the same,
gathering myself for
another round,
a new day,
more crows.

The rains start to fade,
the flood waters recede,
now the heat begins,
relentless and unforgiving,
burning within
until there is nothing left to burn,
sucking the last ounces of energy,
destroying everything it touches.

The memories drift by,
like trapped trash and debris
within a gently flowing river current,
floating and bobbing,
becoming stuck in long forgotten
log jams and curved muddy bends,
sleep finally comes,
tucked in-between the sweat and coughs;

and the only thing that matters anymore
is the morning crows.
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Scoffers

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.   II Peter 3:3-10

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.   Isaiah 64:6

The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the survivors whom the Lord calls. Joel 2:31-32

another has come and gone,

false prophets,

speaking ancient mysteries

they know nothing about,

spreading messages of doom,

putting words in the mouth of God,

feeding pride and egos,

that have nothing to do

with truth;

even now, the children of darkness

begin to celebrate,

scoffing and mocking,

forgetting that for us all,

the last day is only a

heartbeat away;

standing before a holy and righteous God,

will it matter whether the world has ended,

or because you have breathed

your last breath?

will all our goodness and kindness,

which are but filthy rags before the Lord,

save us from the fate,

we so undeniably deserve?

for "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13.

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Redemption

“When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”    Luke 21:28


Another day begins,
another day ends,
how many days are left?

let me count the days.

We have become a society
of death,
a cult of iniquity,
violent predators obsessed with
fresh new victims,
laughing at misery,
taking delight in suffering,
fascinated by the pain of others,
immune to the cries for mercy,
lost in fantasy and delusion,
appearing to have a form
of godliness,
yet denying the power;

we have become the last days.

The hope rises within,
the time is almost here,
home only a moment away,
lift up your heads,
for your redemption draws near;

no more shall we hunger,
no more shall we thirst,
no more shall the sun beat down,
no more shall the heat scorch,
we shall lie down at springs
of living water;

every tear shall be wiped away.
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An End to the End

Chasing down dreams
on one-way, dead-end streets,
the moments come and go,
cool autumn nights wait forever,
like distant winter storms poised
to pour liquid electricity
into endless teenage skies,
back seats and pre-game rituals
followed by post-game letdowns
fade into the oblivion of lost moments,
as life-changing,
earth shattering decisions
mean very little inside vast
kingdoms of empty space,
where nothing comes
and nothing goes;

I have sunk to the depths,
I have been to the heights;

flow is the key,
you can lose your momentum,
but never lose your flow.

Invisible chains fall like leaves
before the gathering storm,
there is a death of which
no one knows,
somber days lie ahead,
for every beginning there is an end,
for every ending there is an end;

for everything there is an end.

In life there are only so many;

so many days,
so many years,
so many thoughts,
so many words,

they slip through our fingers
like water running to the sea,
we forget more
than we can ever know;

for everything there is an end.
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Osama

Note: I know people will read this and some will see it as an endorsment of Osama Bin Laden and his actions. I can't help that. I want to make it clear that I do not support or endorse the Osama Bin Laden's of the world or their causes or actions. I find them irrehensible and disgusting. However I also cannot stand the lies and hypocrisy on either side. So with that being said I hope you will read the real message I was trying to convey in this.  

Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him.      Proverbs 24:17-18

What can be said
for one such as this?

he was not a coward,
he was not a hypocrite,
he was not a madman
hungry for power;

in many ways he was everything
most of us can only dream of being;

fearless,
committed,
standing firm in what he believed,
openly declaring war on an enemy
much more powerful than he,
paying the consequences for his actions;

“for all who draw the sword will die
by the sword.” Matthew 26:52.

Late night comics gleefully mock
his life and death,
anything for ratings and cheap laughs,
children, drunk and spoiled,
dance in the street,
chanting words and catch phrases
about issues for which they
could care less,
just another excuse to party,
celebrating his death like some super bowl
or national championship victory;

you reaped what you sowed,
but you deserved better than this,
your victims deserved better too.

I do not mourn your death,
rather I find it sad
that one such as you
could be deceived,
unable to find the truth,
swallowed up by the darkness,
blinded by the hatred;

it makes me wonder
what hope there is
for the rest of us.
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Good Friday, 2011

Praise to You O LORD,
on this day of days,
this dark, cold night
before the dawn,
on a tree You were hung,
like a lamb You were led
to the slaughter,
without a word You
accepted the abuse,
suffering the torture and torment,
withstanding the isolation,
dying for us all,
giving up Your life
that we might live,
Your love never wavering,
You faithfulness remaining
until the end.

Praise to You O LORD,
let all the world proclaim
Your holy name,
let all the world fall down
before Your mighty throne,
let every creature under heaven
and on earth worship Your
magnificent glory,
for You alone are worthy,
You alone are deserving,
You alone are LORD;

my King,
my God,
my Everything.
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Commodities

There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.        Luke 12:2-3

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.     James 3:7-8

Pride blinds the eyes of those it fills,
creating illusions and deceptions,
turning brother against brother,
sister against sister,
breaking friendships and bonds,
destroying everything in its path;

words spoken in the darkness
find their way into the light.

You choose your relationships
and friendships like commodities,
something to hold on too
when they are useful
and serve a purpose,
something to toss out
like the morning trash
when their usefulness and purpose
are gone.

We are all filthy rags,
we have all fallen short,
eventually we all fail,
no matter how many positive thoughts
we fill our minds with,
no matter what fantasies
we choose to live in,
no matter how much knowledge
we think we know,
no matter what bold words
our tongues spew forth;

in the end
truth is all that survives.
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All That Matters Now

Once I could do things
most people only dream of,
I could run with the wind,
move like a cat,
hit 90 mph fastballs,
I had strength,
I had power,
things most know
nothing about;

I took it for granted,
I thought it would last forever;

now it is all gone,

I struggle just to move,
I fight for every breath,
I strain to hold on,
I live for the next meal,
my stomach aches with every bite,
I long for the past;

I search for a way out.

Life is not fair,
it does not provide justice
one way or the other,
some have more,
some have less,
some have nothing at all,
there is no guarantee,
there is no certainty,
there is no balance;

life is an illusion.

It does not matter now,
it has come,
it has gone,
all that matters now
is what comes next;

all that matters now
is You
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Never Enough

We all need a little calamity now and then,
something to make it sweet,
a bit of drama upon which to hold,
an excuse for everything we are not,
nor never shall be;

all that can be said
about everything there is to say.

This thought,
together with these words
mean nothing,
in a world full of nothing,
dead corpses strewn about
shallow roadside graves,
wandering alone
through dark and dead dreams,
mindless zombies lying
broken and afraid,
breathing foul, empty air;

no future,
no joy,
no hope.

There are daughters
in need of a father,
wives in search of a husband,
sisters seeking long lost brothers,
grandchildren asking for a grandfather;

there are answers with no questions,
mysteries without a clue.

You are better off
never knowing who I am,
never knowing what I was,
never knowing where I am going,
you are better off not knowing.

Still I hold on,
still I silently wait here on the edge,
buried within the dead,
standing on the verge of
mighty, giant breakthroughs,
hiding behind the drama,
only a blink of an eye away;

will not the dawn
bring a better tomorrow?

Once again You open my eyes,
once again I see the suffering,
the hypocrisy,
the poverty,
the hopelessness,
once again I feel the sadness,
the mercy,
the compassion,
and once again
I rise,
these are not words,
this is not art,
this is not life,
this is not death;

this is all there is.

It is hard to run,
when you can never be sure
what you are running from,
hard to hide when there
is nothing worth hiding from,
every time you win,
you lose,
whenever you think
it is enough,
it rarely ever is,
hidden away,
inside dark, unknown caverns,
answers are left standing,
monsters with minds
of their own.

It is hard to run from dreams,
they know who you are,
they see where you have been,
they know just where you will be;

never ending,
never alone,
never enough.
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Floodwaters

The world is dying,
I am dying,
death has become the only friend,
the final sanctuary,
in a life no longer
worth living.

Each day begins anew,
each day ends,
the breeze continues to blow,
the rivers continue to flow,
the morning sun arrives
right on time;

for every season there is a purpose,
for every question there is an answer.

I see the ugliness lying
just below the surface,
the self-serving hypocrisy,
the incomplete falsehoods,
the insincere agendas,
you do not fool me;

not even for a moment.

The moment begins at last,
the hour is at hand,
the children of men are no more,
their monuments of glory
crumble before the wind,
the bitter taste of their demise
lies frozen upon a sea
of silent tongues;

this then is the beginning,
this then is the end.

Still they do not listen,
even now their eyes remain blind,
giving in marriage and celebrating
right up to the very end;

surely there is no hope
for ones such as these.
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