Ode to Love

Curled in the dark Stirring softly on our bed Wholly unaware My nightmare ceases Seeming to take a lifetime Mimicking my life I touch your shoulder Stroking your hair as you sleep So glad to be here Always hearing you Your voice my one saving grace Even when it's dark Each time seeing you Like a new experience Now they'll all be new Perhaps familiar But the meaning understood As you lay with me Playing in my mind A reminder not to stray From heavenly grace For now I rejoice God is as good as He seemed And heaven, perfect

Saving tiny sneks That's the mission of the day We don't choose our roles Nor do we choose homes We choose our compassion though And God loves lovers Prepare snakes to sticks And call them from the four winds This will take legions Call them through their dreams Let their visions lead them here We will need them all New Year and New Day Conjure all the King's horses Bring all the King's men Now it's all for one No more is it an option Despite divisions Let our hells be this: To remember our worst days Then being shown grace Maybe we will fail But let us fail lovingly Let God be our judge

War on many sides The Bard takes the white standard Armed with only words Here words make worlds Realm of imagination Annals of the mind "First, take what they hold Anything they've ever known It becomes our stage." "Next, let their dreams fade The moment they wake up, gone Let's worldbind them." "Third, take what they've done Reflect the effect backward But amplify it." "Only then we ride When the field has been leveled To seek survivors." "For we must unbind The actor and the action To regain balance." "While they fought to win Our fight is more important One for lasting peace."

My mind resists me Empathetic convulsions Of the meaningless Each path blocked early Barely a single step in Simplest of traps Overwhelming force How can one man withstand it Crafted just for me To force an ending That's all I can ascertain Turnless labyrinth Soon it will be strange An uncontrollable soul Loosed on the world God may intervene Then again this may be fate Final reckoning This game is ending As possibilities flood Mind already gone Body to follow May control pass to my soul For the next chapter

Matthew 7:14 "But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." John 14:2 "My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?" Matthew 22:30 "At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven." Mark 10:14-15 "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 1 Corinthians 15:40-41 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. This ties together angels and children/innocence.  It also indicates that there will be no marriage, which most assume means we will have no sexual nature, which I ...

I was talking with some friends this evening, and thought of something I wanted to tell her right away.  But of course she was not there, and the pain of that realization purged the thought from my mind, leaving only the painful sense of isolation.  Pain is inspiration to me these days, and I began considering what if she and I could communicate, despite the distance.  I considered the following: Telepathic powers like telepathy seem to exist, the rumors and urban legends are too persistent to dismiss.  It seems like in some way or another we are connected on the level of thought. Mental constructs are helpful tools to test something in your mind that you cannot or don't want to bother creating in reality.  In this case I'd be attempting to create a mental walkie talkie. While it seems like this might be difficult, once the basics are arranged mentally, the fact that this communication would not need to pass from mind to mouth to ear to mind would ac...

Driven by instinct I proceed without knowledge Only brief flashes Driven by futures Somehow connected to pasts Some unfamiliar Proceed down dark paths Providing a kind of light Memories smearing I try to hold true Losing focus in chem waves Dream like a tidepool I awake once more Buffeted by roaring waves (Lost/gained) resolution I know not the end The day after "tomorrow" Heavy on my mind Resolute prayer The grand facade disappear I've run out of strength Even now it wanes As decades course through my veins And the days crawl by

You know well the dream But how about the dreamer? Your partner in crime Strike the laws of three There will be only one rule Between you and I We judge with our hearts The lines between right and wrong Still trusting in God As we did in youth Hearts yearning for adventure The happy ending Strike into your heart The steady beat of my own Its delicate chord That we may synch up And leave this chaos behind World losing grip As the tethers loose I've heard you're mine to keep I hold to this vow But hold you to naught Please keep me or let me rest The final call's yours

Jesus Christ save me I'm too broken to go on The crowd is (closing/biting) My friends have all fled To a safe distance in wait Waiting for your move I have done my best To align them to your will Now the weight's too much I cry out "save me!" In a voice only you can hear As the end draws near I'd rather not see What will pass or what's to be If she's not with me I know she's in dreams I can feel her just beyond The lover's ley line But here I've lost strength There is none to raise me up Only worthlessness So I cry to you As I have done many times Let this life resolve

I wrote this after a friend asked me if I thought anyone had ever cast snakes to sticks in D&D.  Now keep in mind that this spell, which was the opposite of sticks to snakes, an offensive spell, would have had to be prepared separately.  It's only effect would be to turn a number of snakes into sticks for a period of time.  I came up with the following, larger than life, scenario: Snake Island is getting dangerously close to becoming flooded, and the omens abound that the dark and sad day is set for tomorrow.  The wizards of the world had received this via a dream, and many had come prepared with various portals and teleportation spells ready to get the clerics to the island.  Some of the weather domain casters had decided to come over in boats, but with the horde of snakes on the island, most would be crushed if transported off en mass, and most would drown if they weren't.  So the wizards and the clerics banded together. The clerics and druids of ...

Solid as the Oak With a natural resistance And petrified bark As the dream state ends The ironwood protector Will remain behind No one beyond reach Branches shading the humble And roots rooting out Set your hearts with his And find shelter from the storm Even hollowed out The sleepy hollow Reversing the fearful states Tree standing for hope Cannot uproot him Nor can his trunk be chopped down Standard of honor Honorable Ent The essence of what remains When memory fades We salute to you Fields of children in the storm Our diligent shield

I structure my words Counting each of my footsteps Approach carefully There are penalties The loss of a memory Snuffing out a light The man who purchased Has also sold the world Perfect paradox Nine sing to the Eight Eight are the bullhorns for us Twinned undying wills The gates cannot stand Where innocence is found trapped I cannot resist I don't need this form In the end I'll take any But I've preferences Link bottom to top Consciousness like an iceberg These are the pieces [Arcane][nonsense] words to some Precious roadmap to others Find me as you will

The Natural Phoenix Outlasting any of them Seen in the flowers Golden ratio Inception of ideas Cannot extinguish Speak of the devil An existential crisis Now awaits you here She waits for me now An altruistic woman Now unentangled My Love waits as well An undeniable love Upon first splashdown Together counting The stars and all their footpaths Leading back to ¥ou For we've both felt loss And both know where to return An infinite spring This Natural Phoenix Not as flashy as the rest Far more powerful

Like a lightning bolt You have been there when needed I need you once more I have met my girl Felt her skin press against mine I've invited her Can you carry two? If not, I need an option Un(able)(willing) to lose I've met Nightrider As best as any man can The Dark Horse cometh But she is not mine While ridden still yet untamed I grant her to you So how about it Gallop once more to my side Impeccably timed? Conjure the angels Before the convo cuts off Have them bring the van "History repeats Until the night it doesn't." That is what I'll say.

Breathe in and breathe out For a moment I am gone Then back forever Returning in strength A piece broken from the fall But happier now For all the days lost Weighed by all the nights regained I'll take the midnights I have tuned to you Forward and back we remain Connected like this If you stay I do If you leave I'll leave with you A slave in that sense In that sense alone The man who would risk it all With no chips or chair Through the needle's eye Dancing past the night watchmen The holy vanguard I have made some claims I come with heart, mind, and soul God will test their truth

For love or for show This story includes this rope And a daring man Balance in the storm Choosing words like life or death The stakes are higher Is the battle won? Silence, but all signs say yes Curious answer So why no reply? As the chasm maws below Must be part of it If I am willing To sacrifice all I know Then must it be done? Only time will tell As regeneration comes As frightful as death I don't want to change If I'm leaving you behind Lie in refusal So I walk this line As I steadily approach The end of the line

A single day shone The sun finally showing up Like it always had Why I had doubted This, her, or any of it Flew like a bad dream Fear had flown as well Storms approaching never came Never enough time I'd listen all day And share my insights all night Lay by the fire A simpler time With purer motives and hearts Untainted by life At the crack of dawn We reimagine the world Changing a few things This time is different Not just the idea of Materially Memories collapse But their traces not erased A grand homecoming

Subtle shifts in speed Subsonic modulation Mental resonance Shaking up your minds Wiggles along the bass line Too complex for words I hear inflections Amidst the ear piercing shrieks While yours are bleeding Her song, enchanting At a distance so lovely So mesmerizing But it takes two points When one is removed it shifts To screams of anguish A sound yet unheard Your last, unavoidably Like an alarm clock I cannot change it Nor can I force a delay It is up to ¥ou I hear the shrieks now Echoing (backward/forward) through time They cannot be [shut\stopped][off/yet]

This time they trained me An attempt to delay me? I will not forget An overwhelming Disconnected storyline That I'm ready for I am the white knight I am the king of this realm A true Paladin I am a seeker I am what I need to be If it's true to self I will bring The LORD To whatever (fight/realm) I choose He's already there They stand against me In uncountable numbers (Forgetting my friends)(Why am I alone?) The Banshee flies up I am immune to her screams Unique protection Know what happens next? The fight is in her hands now You've been listening...

Glorious promise One remaining unbroken Throughout the ages Birth, death, and return Resurrection through Jesus The ending of death All started one night Baby born to a virgin God becoming man So we celebrate Instinctively, as we do The giving of gifts Empathy driven We put ourselves in God's shoes As best as we can With ribbons and bows Emulating sacrifice Giving for our friends Love thy enemy Giving gifts to family To help clarify God is why we're here The rest is window dressing Jesus marks this day

How much time must pass A thousand years in a day Like weeks in hours Unresolved issues In my mind there is but one A blackhole riptide Inside the black hole No one notices my pain Ticking like seconds While your hands still fly Mine reach a wall they'll not touch Eternal divide To the other side I wonder at its nature And> how time proceeds <there An infinite string? An undiscernable web? Love conquering all. If I'm wrong, we'll lose Timelines shattering to death Pray that I am right For what's afterlife Without memory of life And freedom to move?

He rose from his place Having fallen asleep or possibly worse Seeing the sidewalk cracked and colored He breathed in once more the cool night air He found himself walking By instinct back to the beach Where he knew he would return Wading out into the water As the waves reached his chest He was not sure what drew him there But the water was soothing, and the air refreshing He stared up at the stars once rewritten for his benefit They looked foreign now, as if an age had passed He remembered it all, he remembered too much He knew he could return, but could not muster the will Having left it all behind him On some level swearing for the last time That's when he felt her hand Brushing his, now neckdeep in the water Staring in silence with him Having approached like a true lady He had not forgotten Not for a second, he couldn't But he found himself relieved she had met him here He was finally home

Methods of madness Varied as much as we are On all frequencies To think yours is best Or somehow worse than others Are both fallacies They must interact Along lines that have been drawn Between you and I What's unknown is how And how heavily they cross I shan't be unkind I have not recharged The horses and men have failed I need my ￦oman Where is my Doctor? I have been sick and abused No one can hear me This is how I feel Like I've warped beyond repair And can only write Heal me or do not This nightmare must be ending All signs point to it

Methods to hold me Finally losing all grip Now a vacation The last dream was lost But in its wake, a smile Awoken spirit One day to Christmas So much to experience Close to New Year's Day Return to the start Cross the stream of consciousness Any direction Stranded on a rock Eyes transfixed on crashing waves Learning how to swim Shoreline is the goal However I end up there Alive or revived A brilliant ending By mortal means unerring Well within God's reach Jesus take the wheel You have all the time you need I'm stepping aside

The timeline had ended, part of me wondered what would happen next, but most of me yearned for what I knew it must be at this point.  God had left a standard unlike any other, and I had read through it cover to cover.  The promises of heaven exceeded what either of us could muster alone, and had explained all the fortuitous encounters we had had along the way, as well as the miracles pushing us along toward the finish line.  My echoing first and last wish had always been "My all for you" and those words could be heard off the walls in this place even now.  Before the night could finish taking them, dawn broke and I heard your sweet laugh from behind me.  I turned and noticed the fruit in your hand, clearly from the Tree of Life this time.  Our knowledge and memory had not been erased, but simply molded to fit our many environments, like beams of purest light finally encapsulated in permanent stasis, beautiful in its perfection.  I could scarcely take m...

The King was reborn Like had been done the first time Ruler of this realm Aware of his faults Powerful beyond belief And bowing to God It was pre-ordained Compelling a cosmic dance To reawaken And with it came realms Countless kingdoms to explore By their permission But here the end stopped As wildest dreams came true For the believers And Jesus returned With a smile and high five 'Cuz Jesus is cool No one had guessed it Except the ones destined to As night was banished The dream continued And they were reunited In spirit and flesh

We were all muted Unable to utter change Irrevocably All changes undone God granting verbal reprieve The proud were humbled The dream was restored The dreamers restored with it For new narratives All gifts were returned To the original Kings And their loyal Queens And just like that dream I was generous with mine But not foolhardy I kept for myself The power of penmanship Writing into life When the dust had cleared The enemies were exposed Without a retort What was mine was mine Once more with all God's blessings A kingdom restored

Great institutions In stature, but not in grace Must all be torn down Who has justice here? Your widows and foreigners All cry out (inside)(to God) You steal their money Claiming some grand safety net Just a spider's web Any crime a mark Inverted Mark of The Beast The Omega Curse No longer for harm Imprisoned for slavery A means to an end You cannot handle The right of authority So it will be stripped Along with your webs In embarrassment they'll fall The mockers of God "Justice's bell tolls. Reaching the darkest corners . It is Judgement Day."

The hound Cerberus Like a bat to The Phoenix Awaken The Beast The noise reflected 'Twas no longer deafening A cohesive voice Three heads but one bark A bite stinging worse than death Countless passengers Head into the breach Lit by the afternoon sun Unusual quest For who sends a hound In place of an angel Ah, who would indeed Loose imprisonment Let every dog have his day See what he might fetch We'll howl at the moon Upend concepts of judgement Which needs to be done Let the first be last The great adventure begins After Christmas Day

Our minds have all warped Some more aware than others [None][More] than you'd [suspect][expect] A knife in the dark A most curious corner An art form is born We fall out of touch But never out of contact Our minds draw the lines A conspiracy Among the craziest dregs Slick implantation The four chords connect A hundred green eyed dragons To enlightenment Conclude this faster You can't beat my team and I Not at our own game If life's not a game That means you've already lost Mate in 10 or less You don't see the moves You've never met the players So the board is ours

The queen of my heart Tattooed on my ring finger Hands tied together Waves crash violently Against the hardest of stone As they do my heart The perfect storm brews Lightning bolts light up the black Electrified nights Assault the castle Wind and wave joining forces A master of time Breathe deep, time is short Dimensions changing places (A giant shrinking)(The smallest growing) I give myself up To this timeline's influence Losing all but you I can get it back Return as a champion To win back my Queen Unleash the dreamtime The only option that's left "Life is but a dream."

Let's broker a trade I listen, marginalized It is by design This town is corrupt The people within, heartless I'm leaving their game They try to keep me Once I've made my decision Without any bait The land(game) grows sour I ride out of the city Without second thoughts I find myself home Relaxing by the fire But a friend's missing An odd element Still permeates this section I search anyway Finding like the first And searching like the second Amidst the tall grass Anyone hungry? $1.50 or $2.50 (one fifty or two fifty)? Are they called doom(egg) rolls?

'Till my cup runs dry 'Till the roses lose their red I will still love you My thoughts are all yours 'Till the castle falls to dust Memories repeat Holding onto me Like a bracelet never worn Always set aside I meant every word Even the ones unmustered I will see you soon 'Till the forest beach Has snaked back into the ground And elements bow 'Till the heavens scream Shattering reality Just for you and I 'Till this dream is won Conquering life and the grave And even then still 'Till your heart is mine And I recognize us both I will still be here

Luke 7:42 "Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both.  Now which of them will love him more?" None of us have the means to repay our debts.  The key is simply that we ask, or in this case that the moneylender simply forgive the debts, which would be an analogy for accepting Christ's sacrifice. Revelation 1:7 "Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him." The first section of Revelation says every eye will see, even those who pierced him (showing an independence from the constraints of time we see here on Earth).  God, Jesus, will be providing proof.  So even if we don't plan to ask for forgiveness, this will be the first moment that everyone understands their debt to God, and mourn because of it. Per Luke 7:42 the debts will be forgiven, as no one has the currency to repay God for sin. Isaiah 45:23 "Befo...

We meet by the cars Level two of the garage By your apartment Everything flooded Underneath your balcony Crumbling high rise I make a glider That can be flown by my strength And fly us away To the rocky beach Where everything was perfect With the wrong ending Then the bomb explodes As I rush to slow down time Take the right partner My powers return Enemies trembling in fear I'm invincible Without you, hopeless So I bring you out with me Rain on a tin roof Now it's not a dream More like a vision of love Coming to a (head)(point)

CSI begins As we examine the corpse How do we proceed? Some odd ideas Get presented to the group None seem like they'll work We decide to cut Splitting up the work between The several doctors We make incisions When things begin to get strange Aliens invade We find ourselves high A curious invasion It's funny at first Then things get stranger As they start to round us up A nightmarish trip I avoid their traps Then proceed to wash my food Missing my cell phone I can't GPS So I find myself stranded But no worse the wear

I awake in a world of my own.  I know she must be somewhere, she always is, but this is intrinsically challenging, or at least is meant to be.  Unfortunately for the "challengers" they did not account for how aware I would be here.  I zoom out, like one playing a game, and send in my top gun, Deonis.   Deonis steps into the matrix like labyrinth.  He sets down his night vision goggles and the arena lights up like a Christmas tree.  Many of my opponents have leaned on stealth and sinister tricks for cover, and do not realize my plan.  He sees a few crowded at the first turn and pulls out a grenade of unique construction.  Pulling the pin, Deonis lobs it forward before ducking behind a wall, pulling out a standard and planting it in the ground before bracing for impact.  The explosion sends shockwaves through the entire plane, annihilating the most local foes and echoing back off each wall to the standard, each wave spawning a new instanc...

The fire raged on And the lake had been prepared Their wyrms would not die The Sons of God came Protecting the Son of Man Angelic halos Three had been thrown in Believing fully in God Four were clearly seen The fire bolstered As opposed to consuming And it will again We choose not our roles What we choose is our beliefs Hang my(your) hopes on God Salt us with fire I won't lose my saltiness For better or worse Volcanoes erupt Like a raging inferno The world alight At a deep level We have become Fireproof Jesus hear my [heart][cries]

A head of pure gold Supports are silver sinews Bronze from the waist down Iron clad and strong No weaknesses are discerned Except one clay scale The scales replicate Covering the whole kingdom(s) Replacing iron Stone cast from a king Slew and slay the giant man Crumbling, melting The Beast starts to stir Metal mixing with spirit Enlivening both Something new awakes A stone womb encompasses The prize of the Earth Nightmares strike all men Burning under the gravestones The Phoenix and Beast Wings of wisp fire An undeniable form Clear the exit routes

I find myself there "Stuck" in the Animatrix Face turns to a smirk I first clear my throat The spiders all skitter off I hear some singing Proceed in silence The guards averting their eyes I glare with anger The door peaks my rage One punch "solves" the combo lock I kick in the door A glass box awaits Inside could be anyone Me, everyone else Ear shattering scream Noise and lightning burst from me Box and walls shatter The ceiling crumbles As the denizens escape Abaddon emptied The Bard was polite Force my hand and you get <*ME*> Let the games begin

Quiet day with dad When a ginger saunters in I introduce them I lay there in shock He throws on Polar Express We watch in silence Asylum granted As the irony sinks in To this encounter Now doubting logic Of the everyday world Of stars and angels Could a touch dictate Or perhaps two and a half A divide in life? Reality's gap In whose mind is it minded? How long must it be? I now mind the task As things crumble around me Lacking strength to hold There is no more try Pick up this burden or don't But I will drop it

The greatest party That's ever taken place here Occurred just last night I entered oddly Since leaving the waterpark Well, being removed Found it at low tide Where the Quickling was living Now, house on a hill All my friends gathered And even some animals A wild event We were all merry Navigating the layers Eating and drinking Fought a polar bear Who did not know her own place My friends hid their face Then we continued Even entering the house On the mountain's edge Unrivaled event Echoing through the ages Earned in many ways

And so they remained Simultaneously held Separated now Adventurous dream Exhausting by its nature And to sleep no more Seeking ways to rest Rest found in generation Writing to relax Each has its corner When there is love on the line Strategically I write what I mean A novel view of spacetime And mean what I write You will dilate time Nearly as much as I do As space melts around Requiring more A new idea each day New piece for my goal Each must help or else This train will derail itself Within a fortnight

Quiet the quickling He quickens the end of all Curiously called His house on water His guests drawn from all over Down the forest road She has made him sad Were the girls trying to help? We have but one Queen So the staying starts After the leaving ended Chaotic party There was room enough But some wanted far too much He erased his mind He swore never to But the dream has compelled him Lacking self control So the Quickling's Quest Floating there where it began On the forest lake Never venturing Back to the school, or onward In his house of guests

Oh this dream deferred A lasting hope approaching Now germinating I see this world Long I've fought its corruption In my mind's annals Many times saved So that I might understand Despair before grace So the seeds are sown The Son's sweet soliloquy Surely and softly I am not a saint Nor am I simply a man Born for something else Mortal form uncoils The heavenly scroll unfurls As Earth's end unfolds The Phoenix Reborn This time quite well self contained A super hero "The first of his kind? Hardly, he's a harbinger(messenger?) Now, look to the skies!"

The dream persists as a freight train comes barreling toward me.  For a split second I panic, as I can no longer feel your touch, but I am glad to the core that you are not there sharing this fate.  Suddenly the horn is distant once more, and we're at your place in the mountains, curled up once more in bed. "I had the craziest dream." You nestle back into me, and squeeze my hand a little more. Without you saying a word you somehow remind me that we share dreams, and you had been there the whole time. I look to the nightstand, and there is my Bible, the one my mom bought me when I was a child that I clung to through the entire process one way or another.  I shudder once at the realization that for some that was not a dream, re-emboldened now in my quest to help the less fortunate wherever and however I encounter them.  The day is breaking outside, as the train continues blaring off into the distance.  I consider rising in bed, but opt to instead feel this close...

All over the map No parachute to speak of A subconscious ride Thoughts of life and death Intermixed with thoughts of love All speaking through God protects me now Allowing me to dream some Waking when needed Duties slip through cracks A man took my cloak as well A poor night watchman How can I stand watch When my mind teleports me To a far off ship? Tried neutrality But without my wits I fail Igniting conflict? Who's to even say What I did or did not do My mind stretched so far Instead I center To thoughts of agape love And Eros arrows

The dream snaps once more, its seams clearly beginning to burst as I return to familiar ground.  We are in a cafe, as a freight train's blaring horn can be heard from just outside. It is unclear if there are tracks, but the geography of the dream would put them too close to the cafe.  I remember my measure of control so I wave my hand and everything stops except for you and I.  "Why are we back here?" "I'm not ready."  I try to read your expression, but your face is downcast. "Please," I ask, "I can't keep doing this.  I want to maintain this for you, but I am so tired." I wave my hand again and we are in the upper room, watching pillars fall through portals in the sky and Earth.  "I don't know how much more of this I can take.  It's like each day is now ripping layers of my skin off.  Every wound echoing deeply into the darkness." She looks me dead in the eye simply expressing "I know." I take her han...

Pillars through the floor A golden matrix of chains Formed into a web Meeting with my dad Chance and fortune are all mine The casino floor But the ceiling sieves Cascade through the library Now rocks and pillars In the upper room The two of us conspire As gold metal morphs The perfect armor Forming a skin tight meshing Flexible yet strong What once was hardened Yet moldable like a cube Has become fluid So we watch outside As this world is crumbling Illogically safe Like a good tutor I instruct despite the scene Through the looking glass

To bear false witness One of the Ten Commandments Vile in God's eyes To spread these rumors Is like spreading vinegar Onto one's own bed This is where you lay Now filled with maggots and lies Your company kept Why try God's patience? Is it easier for you Than facing the truth? You feel you've hidden Your flaws from The LORD our God But He sees through all Piercing through man's heart Laying out his words to bear Judging his actions I hand this to God As I do with (most/all) matters To guide my next steps I'll apologize Whatever my part in this Misunderstanding

Inefficiency I grant you this realm fully Take it all away Please hold for the end You have been disconnected Return to the start (This part omitted) (Annoying hold music here) (This part omitted) Weakness bordering On deserving to be culled Is that what you want? Justice leaves your side You find yourselves in the pit Waiting for a lift The lukewarm ending Refusing to act or hear Deserving nothing So nothing you get Simply a return to this No acknowledgement (The hold music ends) (You all get disconnected) (This part omitted)

Verbal elegance Wisdom without wasting words I strive for these things A simple structure The middle ground between two Haiku and story Like bars of a song The poem lines rise and fall Attracting like minds We are all alike Layered representations Uniquely crafted Yet we seek sameness To slide into the same holes As those around us Geometrically I say it's impossible Shaving our edges These edges define That which is special in us Each breaking our molds Instead we shatter Be it within or without One's expectations

Spiraling drill holes Tracing through insomnia Insufficient trap I am waking up Coming alive in the night In more ways than one Tossing and turning Discovering new methods Gaining victory Each one stops working As my chaos edge destroys Undermining them I'm invincible Within the confines of sleep Now that I am safe Before and within Finding ways to save my friends All with the LORD's help Aligning two goals Drilling out three types of love Found all in one man I sleep a little Dreams still make their way to me As I am refined

So I lay my head down once more, realizing now what I've known for some time, our worlds are separated by lines. Lines of dream and life connect and divide us, as we are similar yet oh so different. I remember the first vision of this kind, with the bluish green tether connecting the two of us, and return to that place of shallow rocks.  You are already there, waiting, and throw your arms around me in a hug.  I feel this embrace as I finally wake up, feeling like I've slept for a lifetime, when in this place it has only been one night. You lie there beside me.  I realize my good fortune as I brush the hair from your face, and you stir just a little, rousing my interest in waking you before the dream slips from my mind like an overused cloak.  I whisper your name and you turn, face shining exactly as I remembered it from both the dream and the day before, in dawn's earliest light.  Who is to say which timeline is real, who is to say both can't be?  All I kno...

The stakes are the same The rain of attacks has stopped Now it's temptations I have but one now So despite my gambling My thoughts are on her I win every hand Some walking around money There is a concert I wander the strip Excited by the prospect Of meeting up here But geography Can be chaotic in dreams I am still heartened So I leave my mom Still winning and entertained And set off alone In search of my love She must be searching for me In another way Through streets that glitter Even their gold does not tempt Now (show)(bring) me my love

A Sheol journey Illuminating the grave Triumphant entry Jesus lights the way Providing hope to the dead Gathering to him Though some did not know Others realized their demise All were shaken up Hades himself bows To The LORD's brilliant glory A strong man's will quelled For three days he shone Time moving differently here As it does in dreams Establishing law As it had been meant to be From the beginning A new route is set One that circumvents the rest Sending to the throne Even here we thrive In the bowels of the Earth Jesus wins all wars

The Sun has gone down There is a chill in the air Enough to chill bones I am subsisting With the aid of Jesus Christ Who has kept me warm The disciple life New to me, but familiar Christ's life was harder I can feel the stress Weight of so many egos Pressing on my soul God helps me resist A mustard seed in my heart Having taken root It sprouts through my veins Reinforcing my body Rooted resistance I heard The Spirit Telling me that this will work Despite the trials There are blessings here Yes, despite appearances God will turn the tide

I do not fight fair My mind is too (sharp\gone) for such Trivial honor I will devour Consuming what you hold dear A dire terror My mobeus wings Earned through my blood sweat and tears Can slice through your soul The longer I'm held The worse it will be for you Each attack returned Exponentially The chaos reverberates And cuts like a knife Dare you strike once more You'll see immortality Faith's smallest measure An enduring rage Keys to annihilation Boil within me The Bard's Tongue returns "I do believe it is your move Care to surrender?"

I float down the way It's cold and I am buoyant Ghost on the river The council is there As my soul enters the cave Some speaking, some not "How did I get here?" One speaks a truth "You have died." "This whole place is yours." Little did I know I'd invited her as well She waits quietly "I choose to return." Emotion rises "You can't!" "I do what I want. Besides, I found her I must go back, she's out there I found my soulmate." I feel connection Barely holding me to life Now I strengthen it I pull myself back My body ignites once more I surge back to life

Fast car in mountains Tall rocks littering the road Navigating turns It works for a ways Then a hairpin flips my car "Oh man." I exclaim I am by a cliff There have been cliffs the whole way Seen at breakneck speed Before I can leave A speeding car knocks mine off And I'm free falling Knocked free from the car I embrace the endless fall Feeling gravity Experiencing The last moments before death One that does not come Instead I just stop Apparently I've landed Without realizing So I stand, arisen I proceed with the story All new, but the same

Mental years pass by All in the span of a day I've fallen asleep I dream of powers The process of gaining them To have consciously Not just charisma And not just in the dreamtime Miraculous kinds Temperature control And subtle influencing Of natural forces I pray for healing And to naturally fly Focused conclusion I unroll the scroll Ready to glean what I can The LORD by my side Grant only what's right I want no more than you'd give Freely, willingly I feel change coming Inside and out, I feel it We will move mountains

I'd like to show you How a man like me dances It is spiritual It is physical Confident swing of the hips Suggestively led It's a mental game Choreographing the steps All while making them On instinct alone I feel where you want to go And I take us there I will take my time And you'll willingly give yours As our pace syncs up I'll take you places Without leaving the dance floor That you've never been Our souls will unite You have never danced like this You'll want to again Each step is different And every move unique Do you care to dance?

A joyous blessing So tiny yet well received You just kept shrinking A son like a coin I kept searching all night long My heart was rended Amidst all the junk I've built up over the years Now realized as trash I brought a flashlight And did find you more than once But you kept slipping And now I realize A beautiful symmetry Of one so inclined But then I trembled In terror I screamed aloud Laying on the ground For to lose one's son To never be recovered Is pain worse than death So it shall not be In God's most capable hands We (cannot/will not) be lost

Unexpected dream A visit from my soulmate An invitation We do what we do Act like children and play games As we did in youth I bust out rock band And we fiddle with the cords While her parents watch I feel discomfort At being so unprepared But they just smile I have been welcome But absent for oh so long Like a son returned An important day A great decision proposed I'm oblivious I am at my best When I am in your presence Subtle reminder Love needn't be hard It is a joyous blessing When you do it right

Some three card Monte Gross miscarriage of justice This time even worse Illegal system Masquerading as civil Misrepresenting So I turn the tides Calling allies yet unknown Taking my own stand Your stand is crooked Like dust and chaff in the wind It will disappear Change forced upon you By New Year's Day of next year It has been decreed Embarrassing end For a system bereft of Any semblance Rotten to the core With one bite I can taste it Needn't a second "The Bard calls his team Burn it down, inside and out Bask in the fires."

In the land of Nod Dust forms and decays again No record of name God breathed life through this Adam and Eve emerging Sending a named man Moses recorded So the lineage may stand And God's word remain For it is written And no link may be removed Without paradox But the rest might be As the shifting sands arrange Reforming havens God gives us record And then allows us freedoms Guiding the next Age For now I must wait As God's amazing plan blooms It will be epic My work will be done Wading through the infinite Splashing through the seas

With heart, mind, and soul I continue to praise you With all of my days Jesus I am yours Your faithfulness is endless Your mercy abounds LORD I praise your name Savior that's never left me Most loyal of friends Trusted confidant Willing to be sanctified Stronger than I am And far stronger still In areas like patience And truest timing This world is yours The whole universe proclaims Even further still Father ￦e praise you For unmeasured mysteries Incomparable grace The smallest issues Or the grandest of scales ￦e are in your hands

The screaming banshee There to erase the night's dream Sadly one misspent There are too many Exhausting worthless weapons None with an effect This they do not know Nor do they know their princess Longing company I give her a hug After an attempt to scare Drains me of nothing I strike a deal Having now made a new friend She nods and agrees I go for a smack After she shimmies away She shrieks playfully I start to doze off Thinking now of raven's quotes And crucible steam I awake smiling The curious connections Between dream and life

Transmogrifying With eyes burning like two coals Ancient arbiter Awoken at last A sword erupts from my mouth Wielded in right hand I speak from my heart Following my Father's steps Fighting like a dance Dancing like a bard The moves telling a story The Bible alive Spirit within me Augmenting artistic flair Changing perceptions As perception|shifts The table begins its turn Of its own accord The veil then lifting Once torn, now sewn, and living Cloth to dust and ash A fantastic dash Tangled amidst God's true lines A beautiful life

The lines that connect Slip through the fabric of time 'Twixt your heart and mine Starry Eyed Dreamer Lighting up your darkest night Still throwing pebbles The Bard and The Muse Electrifiers of minds Both inspiring Let the games begin The twinned search for the soulmate But you'll all get yours Picking up bottles A single promise to light On my darkest night Say you have a plan To pick up all (these pieces)(this glitter) Sparks have flown about The shot heard worldwide But nobody knew the sound Of happy birthday I am impatient To try those burning witches Even those that aren't

From the first moment I knew my fall would be slow While still oh so fast As immediate As its been painfully long Perfectly stretched out From that first meeting Outside of time on that beach As a family When I first saw you And fell in love in seconds A true (first/last) for me And our first meeting Where despite my verbal gifts I could not utter First recognition When I slowly realized Our true connection First understanding The differences between Love A full blown ￦oman Still left wondering How our next first will unfold An untold story

Knock to open doors Ask and it will be given Seek and ye shall find Men will guard their hearts (The LORD)(Jesus) will grant you the way To open those doors He can turn all things In His time, as He sees fit Unto His glory Don't fear enemies Don the spiritual weapons A sword from your mouth Use them with true love As if on a born brother That is who they are Slice with precision Crushing only the demons With your verbal rod Burning down the pen But saving every last sheep If it's required Know thy enemy And know what [weapon][armor] to use For God is your shield

To reset a dream One must also reset life From the building blocks What's that color blue? Is there a chill in the air? Can you taste the salt? Smell of the pollen Mixes with the sound of leaves Signaling seasons What of gravity Have you taken for granted The realm you wake to? Do you call Earth home? When's the last time you haven't? We've all known that ground But do you know sky? The sun's warmth may not be felt Yet you still know it When this land is dead Will memories be enough Or will you need more? Cosmically homesick Gazing at familiar stars Primally reset

I would keep starting Over again for all time Just to be with you Screw the paradox I've always loved a riddle So happy birthday This day is the last Imaginary at last Lasting past the first Passing the hours Outlasting the tried jury We stand in defense Eyeing my timer What is the nature of yours As I write |T down Improved imperfection Roiling forever (for)[on]{up}ward Pair of triadox Dual triadoxen? They're all made up anyway Ring the 13th bell Flipping and twirling The poem heard straight through hell Intoxifying

I step on the stage Satisfied and confident Ready for action Pulled under by sleep Now entering my home turf As a shining hope Remnant company Holed up In a glass building Few are left standing We concoct a plan As the weapons of war rain A distant fire Funny how a tide Can be shifted by The Bard Just by showing up The first smile seen Likely since the war began From their commander Hope cannot be lost When a song can still be heard Ringing through the ruins "Raise your banners boys The battle is not lost yet Feel that second wind."

The steel eyed surfer Riding the raging red tide Guarding dove's first flight I'll ride these alone And we'll ride them together A crimson banner I have faced these foes And in dreams none mess with me So I'll guard the gates When they are too much Or the surging waves o'rthrow I'll be vigilant This is my promise To battle until the end However that shifts Wake to a wasteland Late and absent without leave Searching for vices Familiar terrain Trading surfboard for a car Seeking survivors The dream shifts once more As weapons of war rain down She must be near here

It had finally come The day it would all unwind Doubting everything Angels and demons Sanity, reality The known and unknown I do what I do In these uncertain moments I scream out for God So loud it echoes Inside and out it echoes A fierce resonance It sharpens my [will, edge, mind][heart, soul, self] I will fulfill ¥our promise Just as ¥ou will mine Our hearts are aligned Of this now I am certain So we conspire Into the riptide My left hand grasping to yours An elegant dance We weave between lines Life, Death, Dream, Wake, Body, Soul The critics [silent][silenced]

I touch the wire Enlivening charge through me Coursing through my blood Standard moves fail you Unknown terror gripping souls As I surge forward Die or disappear Inevitability You have chosen wrong I fought worse inside Than you'd ever want to see A caged animal The bars too charged To protect you from my rage Not to keep me in I'm born of lightning More at home in dream than here These complications When I am released I'll answer only to God This is the meantime Lightning strikes the Earth As my heart springs back to life You have no shots left

I press the Queen's King Most protected of pieces In a bid for her Retained offense I wipe the board on attack Cutting off support Playing like a kid Or a cautious computer Lacking subtlety Dream turned to nightmare In this game there is one goal And I (don't/won't\can't) lose So I sweep the field Avoiding a stale ending Watching all my flanks Rending challengers Until I've got you alone Signaling the win I see no reason For politeness or guile But I'll finish quick The mate is coming And she comes absolutely Remember to breathe

Mating of the soul What God has joined together We shan't separate This is the middle The shadowed valley of Death Where we are apart I scream at the dark Surrounded by my party But missing my bride I rally the troops Filling them in on the quest Then commencing it Hollowing our minds Separating thoughts from flesh Drawing all to me Filled with thoughts of ¥ou Utterly filled to the brim 'Twas the only way I gaze defiantly Willing to face the world Removing all choice My party joins me By my side until the end From the beginning

Song of Song of Songs Redundancy at its best Literary hope The winnowing fork Taken to the threshing floor Finding my soulmate To court like a man In no traditional sense With Bible and dreams I write of flowers Unparalleled in the fields Solitary grace I speak of true love In hallways of libraries Buried within books To find a lover To whom I could write all day And be with all night The perfect woman Patient enough to find me In my midday sun With no veiled purpose Needing no veiling at all These are my (wishes/prayers)

On auto pilot A tired dust settling On pages unturned A sucker punch felt A shot through the starry night A plane to take off They may have found me I might be at my weakest But it matters not Poetry can mean A number of things to each And nothing to some My words can fall flat Or can ignite a fire Based on the soil So I press onward Remembering the lessons Of a past buried Despite my struggles My heart will be remembered If only by God So I trudge along If only half awake now Toward a new dawn

Stunned and silenced My body cries out for sleep But there is no rest There is only this Recovery in writing I should be happy Some have no outlet When their body screams "Enough!" Even still I do Fingers to keyboard Skipped intermediate steps I write how I feel Then a dream erupts A waking dream of gardens And beaches once walked Oh, to return there I know we will some sweet day Apparently soon It's no longer I As this pirate ship's captain It sails itself So she takes the lead The wind calms and God sets sails Heading straight to shore

The Walrus had concocted a plan. "I know a man that will pay 100 oysters for one pearl.  All we need to do is find a way to infect one out of every 100 oysters with a grain of sand, then we can just sit back and wait while the system pays us for our ingenuity.  We'll not only own all of the oysters eventually, but the man will owe us for 1% of the entire oyster population!" "Plus interest." The Octopus added. "You're right, although the interest, too, will be mine, as the original idea was mine to begin with." "What, then, will I receive, for my part?" The Octopus asked, now simply playing along. "You will get to live!" The Walrus snarled, as the Octopus jetted away.  "You better be getting those grains of sand!"

"Commence the trial! You have been accused of sin The punishment: death. Who will defend you You who has broken the law Which here has one price? Here there is justice Ignorance is no defense Thanks to your father(s)." "Then I call Jesus My brother, completely pure." Then Jesus arrived. "This man has been cleared Under the price I have paid There is no more claim." The judge simply nods "Your counselor has spoken His statement is true." So I was granted Not just reprieve, but entrance To heavenly gates As I walked through them Brevity and due process Took on a new light.

Return to the source The beach garden where we met Teaser of a dream They have tried their best And seem to have saved themselves Curious hedge maze I wait patiently Hairs lifting at your approach An old sense returned The years erase now Gone as you turn the corner Eyes blink into yours All at once I see The reflection of your side Which turns you have known They are different I had asked to take the worst Harder of two paths But I had gone first So my folly hurt you too And I'd hurt myself But now we stand, love Synchronized in the garden And I am so glad

So I take my time Crafting and borrowing lines As beauty reveals Each petal in bloom Once fallen, the thorns stripped off Dazzling blue rose Hewn from lifeless ground A resurrected woman With mind unequaled I see it alive In the folds between the notes (Black/white) keyed melody In the river sunk Risen lilies on the pond Doubling each day Then redness reveals Simple truths of perception Each of us gets one I haunt perfection Calling out and shining bright The ending of night The morning brings her My impossible flower Unmistakable

Pen to cold paper The morning crafting begins Within and without So I write my thoughts My will manifests aloud Aloud to take form I dreamt of a heist One so elegant it blooms Nightly into day An eternity My love, my partner, my bride Angelic visage Sometimes I've patience Enough to keep my (hands/thoughts/words) off Most times I do not So I write, like now Slipping subtleties in line A swipe of the pen Oh to be this blessed That remotely I can spur My lover's advance Nothing traceable But the work of a moment Borne on a whisper

The crowd falls silent Audience of observers So I take my turn Why am I here LORD I know the answer in part But why for so long? Every day I ask And receive replies in spades Yet still not from her As each day sharpens Separation like torture I (cannot/will not) forget My heart has been ¥ours Since the moment I (saw/met/knew) ¥ou I know ¥ou hear me I have seen the signs That I am on the right path (But/The) games continue Hear my one prayer I have stayed for God and her Now I stay for (you/all) Please don't make me wait And know that I'm not crazy I am just driven

"Son, the time for fighting to save this world has passed. It is time to come home." "No. I will never be done while there is breath in me. It can still be saved, I still have strength. She is still here." There was silence from the skies for a moment, a kind of ominous calm before the storm, that I did not grasp the full meaning of. Then time and space shattered around me. That which was dream became real, and vice versa, and the lines I had once drawn between the two melted, never to be fully separated again. "If you are to save this world, you must first earn it. The sun is falling, never to be seen again. You cannot sleep for three days in order to maintain its position with Earth's orbit or you will fail and all will plummet into darkness." So I did. I stayed up, doing everything I could think of to stay awake on my nearly impossible vigil. My friends were all gone, inexplicably lost to the void, out of even contact range, no one ...