Priests

Priests...
 Who come to purify our souls
    but leave us with their filth
  purging iniquity from our lives
     and  replacing it with their own
hiding behind the screen of sickness
    lying in wait for innocent ones seeking solace from this cruel world
             into the new world
               to escape the violence within
                  only to meet with anarchy in the sanctuary
                       ruining lives and leaving devastation in the wake of rape and violation by wolves
in sheep’s clothing
laying on hands confusingly placed
leaving marks on our spirits that don’t wash off
 words silenced through big payoffs and excuses
       keeping secrets
          and hundreds of sealed confessions
             with no earthly consequences
Father in heaven help us
    forgive us for our sins
protect us from all who would do us harm in Your Name
       Hail Mary full of grace
          look not on our anger
             help us to forget
       and look for our reward
         in the life to come
             forever and ever
AMEN.

rain

rain go away

we used to sing as innocent children

at play

when the sun refused to come out

and all we could see was puddles and mud

couldn’t go out

or get our feet wet

to keep from catching cold

so we sang a song

of prayer

asking the weather to change for us

until the sun showed her face

but today

this rain is coming down hard

we have no power over its force

of devastation

no safe place to run and hide

from

rising waters running in the streets

full moon watching

tide swelling

banks breaking

ocean and land becoming one

and…

we wait for the sun

to show her face

so again we sing

our song

rain

go away

 

 

 

 

 

Just me

Feeling sad

and alone

wondering what the future will hold

looking for a friend and finding none

only text messages available

people are too busy to listen

or even have a kind word

a bite to eat

or anything

so it’s just me

and God

because that's all that really matters

speechless

i’m speechless

at a loss for words

my extensive vocabulary fails me right now

i ran out of things to say

prayers to pray

confessions and affirmations to make known

so I stayed up past midnight silent

eating forbidden Oreo cookies and drinking tea

alone with just my thoughts

reading a book I bought

funny how the tv  my friend gave me stopped working today

for no apparent reason

the light stays red like something is wrong inside

as if it knew

like a short

or a fuse is out

and it will cost $200 to fix but how

can anyone put a price tag on something that is priceless

a life

a heart

a soul

a body

that is broken

i wonder why i suddenly feel like hitting somebody

when those who claim to know so much could be so wrong

and be so powerless to save

how would any of them feel to be told that everything will be alright

and wake up the next day to find out that they were all wrong

i hate the world right now

and all of its lies

God please help me to understand

why

after all of these years and millions of dollars

they still can’t get it right

how many have died waiting for a cure

to this disease called cancer

the crab that crawls into lives uninvited

paying no rent yet claims squatter’s rights

determined to take eminent domain over every avenue and street

while we wait

and hope

have faith that God will intervene with His hand

if he should choose to trouble the waters

and save

my friend

revelation

revelation…

no longer willing to put up with foolishness

she decided to walk away

and collect her life from those who had been allowed

to enslave her

never looking back on the pages of her life that had been turned

awakening to a brighter day

anticipating the bright future awaiting her arrival.

she hides it well

she hides it well

words in her back pocket

stashed away in closets

pushed aside and stored in boxes

to be filed at a later date

she learned early that dressing the part makes up

for what was lacking inside

and she hides it well

skirting around the real story

quickly changing the subject

when the topic gets too intense

she looks for the nearest exit

and makes her escape

she hides it well

covering her scent

to throw off a would-be pursuer

diving into the water to confuse even the most skillful hunter

when she is the prey

never getting caught

or trapped as she calls it

staying free

and undomesticated

no one’s slave or property

alone is where she remains

and although she cries inside

she hides it well

 

 

 

 

 

 

she worries

she worries…

about the weather

the day

the years

and how long it will take to get from point A to point B and all points in between…

and how to get there

if she will get there

what to do when she gets there

what she will do when it’s time to leave there

and if she will live to see it all.

she worries

all the time

for nothing

for all things

waking and sleeping

and the vicious cycle continues…