Disjointed

Like Ezekiel,
When he saw dry bones
Come done, my
Disjointed bones
Come done beyond
My prayer--
A random sound
That creeps down
Balconies and
A sky that’s fallen.
The hungry man
on the corner block
Asks for money--
His voice is
Wind that follows me
Too quiet at times…
Too foreign, not comforting
Yet familiar.

My footsteps are
Etched in sand, then buried
Underneath water.
Seagulls fall just
Low enough to haunt.
But my shadow,
our bodies
Are children dancing
With the falling sun.
The flesh must die
So that I may live
The flesh must die
So that I can breathe
Even if my breath
Is frail, molten pipe.
My voice is the quell
Buried beneath coal
If I fail
To give the hungry man
A piece of bread, and
If I fail
To hear the song you’ve given
In dedication, that voice
Will cut the dull edge that is
my will.

Anticipation

Frozen. Underneath these clouds
Downstairs in the living room,
I wonder
If there was a way I should’ve
Told you that I was coming
home.
And if, perhaps, that would have
Have somehow had comforted
You, but…
How incredibly selfish. That January day,
You hugged me as I went
Out the back door. And now,
To think that I
Could change the hand of God
To think that
Perhaps I could’ve stopped Him
From calling you to rest….is not fair.
Is not right
Because you are a God who
Knows best, you are a God
Who has her in your arms,
You are what cannot be…
comprehended, Your grace is
what guides me to
Memories of birthdays,
Her laughter
And the promise
That, because of You,
she passed
Beyond the shadow of death.

Living Prayer

Heaven is happy since you rest,
An angel whose prayers
Walk with me

Each day and every morning.
The time you spent
On your knees, so that

Any time I walk through hillsides
I hear God’s voice. Softly above
Your laugh and smile,

That breaks sadness,
causes me to feel light. Every time,
Thinking of you…

You resting, wanting
Me to feel joy.
I think of memories

the tinge of your breath,
Causing scriptures to come alive
Even as I fall asleep.

Prayers for safety each day,
Soft chants of encouragement to
Embrace life

With each new morning.
The graying, golden clouds try to wrap
Their fingertips around me

With the lack of warmth from the hidden sun…
But I know you’re here.
Underneath a green sky,

Clouds cleft the light, burning in wind
While seashells clatter,
backwards and forwards

With the sea’s voice, mighty
Yet peaceful. Lingering
Waves flail and I hear your voice

Telling me to trust God,
And I’m put in a place where
Snow wanders in summer

Blue diamonds nurture
grass, sun-burnt
fingers that reach for Heaven.

The Sky is Falling

There’s something between us
That may as well have been
Spoken millions of years ago

Before light was thought of…
It already was. Before sound--
Was already conceived…

But somewhere, I know in
The fabric of time, there
Was a unsown button--
A thread through creation

That wedged a gulf. I don’t understand
But I ask
To cross the bridge
That Jesus built after
The wealthy man opened
His eyes on the other side

Of paradise. When I open my eyes
And see hunger.
The sun burning on its own
Axis. God’s creation
Falling apart in perfect
Symmetry.

Resurrection

There are those out there
who hurt, even though they don’t
Know it. I can say
That I am not
Perfect, but I pray
Beyond flaws, that hands
Will lift one
Another in prayer.
I can believe that we fight
Not against flesh
But against oppression-
Beyond distress
I knew was true
When your hand
Touched my shoulder.
Watched you laugh
With frown lines, stitches
That still haven’t healed.
When I listened
And heard your breath
Whisper secrets
When you yelled
At the lady for
Giving you wrong
Change. Felt you
Cry when you walked away
As if you carried
A cross in your purse.

Evelyn's Father (Thoughts Whispered Underneath His Breath)

The clock on the wall stares
And sees you, as a fly
Wanders, hears your breath
And sees your body, slurred
Across the chair. The fly hears
Your thoughts of Evelyn.

Thoughts that there is something lying latent
in her eyes a sunrise marching to
the thump of your heart beat.
There is a element of truth
That pierces through lies
Said when she was six.
In your smile, the fly discerns

There’s something ready to peek through.
Inside a picture, your smile breaks,
Ready to push through a secret
Blooming through your shoes.
Through your legs,
Through your fingertips
Beyond your neck and hair
Are dimples smiling and hiding something. The fly hears you...

What you were yet to be
Despite the shortcomings, Evelyn,
of those around you, you will be
Someone special. No, you will be
The embodiment of
My secret prayers at night. You’re already
More than I can speak, even though
You won’t hear me try, I will
Say it, now…
Try to be better, I will
try to be
Someone better
Than the man
Who sleeps in mumbles.