Not Alone

For anyone who feels afraid in darkness
Like the world itself could swallow you with just one more shattered moment
You who are fearful of what may come
And cannot shed the skin of what was
You are not alone
The army is strong, its people many
Who fight the same struggle you bare
In different strains it manifests
But the same result remains
Suffering and pain lie in wait
But do not accept this
Not as destiny, punishment, or fate
For you, who you are
Who you have yet to be
It is all of value and the greatest worth
You have great worth
My friend
I was told by someone I love
Yesterday is dead, so live for right now
And to that I say AMEN
Cheers to your beauty
Cheers to your heart and strength
You are here
You have purpose
And you are not alone

Anis Mojgani, "Come Closer"

                                        One of the most significant pieces of modern poetry.

The Rose Too

Heroes fell, and cupid cried
As a seed lay underground
Impatient and so desperately
Ready to be begin its life
Through a fracture in the ceiling
It could peek above and see
Rain bursting forth
Washing away the starry night
He wondered if it could be true
That after every darkened night
There's a brighter day waiting there for you

It was never easy but somehow that seed knew
You got to keep your head up
So no one can overshadow you
Weary and so  tired of the waiting game
The time had come to rise on up
And to adopt  a new name

With the might of a warrior
Unleashing centuries of ancient might
It strove and gave all it had
To violently escape it's sorry plight

Twisting, winding and unfolding it came
A vulnerable spectacle was set
A robust stem and gun shy leaves
Adorned a flower no one could forget

A perfect representation
Of how far you can  reach
Whether your spoon is silver
Or if it's rusted and crumbling piece by piece
No one can prevent you
From becoming the only rose
That grows from the cracks in the pavement
No matter which way it goes

Crown Jewel

Today I fell

and it hurt

The sky was gray

my jeans were torn

The best of my jackets bloodied

from the blow

My heart was throbbing

Like my knee

That time I skinned it at Grandma's 

when I was 10

Only it didn't stop bleeding

It leaked and poured

until I was sure nothing remained

An empty sack lying limply on my sleeve

Deflated by memories

and pumping milliliters every hour

Enough only to sustain my life

As if to remind me 

That every body is a palace

And exposed to the elements

Is no place for keeping the crown jewel

I Don't Know

I don't know...
Three of the most petrifying words that ruminate in my world, my mind, and from my mouth.
To me, knowledge is comfort, safety, my precious security.
If I know all that the greatest of men have known, if I can predict my fate, then I have the power to protect my sterile, isolated world from that which can desecrate it.
The unknown is such a vast, hapless place.
It's a black hole, full of my fears and insecurities, open to steal what remains of my confidence, and closed to the possibility of retrieving past failures.
It is also the sum of my greatest fears, embodied as a disfigured ghoul that lurks in the shadows.
To face this monstrosity that rules over me in my darkest hours is a risk of indescribable proportions.
I see myself walk toward the giant with a bent cardboard sword, defenseless by definition, but carrying the courage of a lioness before her prey.
I am nothing, really, in head to head combat with my merciless enemy.
But then, so too is the one I face- we're nothing all the same.
I have touched down on this ground before and was thrown to the scavengers as defeat began to rot me away.
But I am back again, and I am wearing the armor I never sought before.
Now I am worthy.
I am ready.
I am not alone, but I am afraid.
Squaring up to a giant comprised of every invisible pain I hold, I raise my useless sword to distract from the knife I pull from my trembling boot.
The battle is waged and my weapon is drawn.
"Who are you, weakling child?!" my enemy roars, grasping my throat in a single motion.
"I don't know", I say with the only breath I can muster, "But I fear you may soon know the wrath of the broken soul."
My dagger is swift, and my courage is full.
His heart is struck deep and his fist is quickly unclenched.
Gasping for breath, regaining my life, I look away from the bloodshed and above to see the perfect blue sky.
What could this be, but a second chance for this lost cause?
Where will I go from here, who will I be?
I don't know, but I will chase the Son and the sky and the beauty of this world until time fails to exist and life is but a trail at the end of a shooting star.
Who am I to those I love and what place do I hold?
I don't know, and that is the journey that I pray will end only when my purpose is fulfilled.

I believe....

I believe that love is the highest calling for us all
That tranquility is found in redemption
And forgiveness is as imperative as the air we breathe
That no one is so far gone that they deserve
A passing judgement
For we all have fallen and crumbled the same

I believe that life is to be lived
Without the boundary of fear
And should be positively infused with passion
Full of moments that have instant recall
When our hearts are full and content

I believe that experience overshadows assumption
And that pain begets wisdom
That nothing we see,say, or do should be in vain
But that every second that passes should prepare
The next with a newly set perspective
That mistakes provide opportunity for reinvention

I believe that every day is a new creation
That each moment is a new beginning
And no matter the storms on the horizon
There will be renewal waiting as the clouds recede
And the sun again appears

Paradise

Today, Easter Sunday, is arguably the most meaningful day of the year for those who know Christ, or have even heard of Him. It's the day that Jesus carried out His promise and prophecy, proving to be the Son of God, raising from the dead three days after having become the Savior of all of our sins. Yeah, that's a pretty significant day.

But, while the story of Easter is crucially important, there is one aspect of the story that just won't leave my mind this year. You see, Jesus wasn't alone on the cross. He was surrounded by those on the ground that had condemned Him, by His family that mourned His coming death, and by the disciple which he loved-His best friend John. While the only perfect and sinless man to ever live suffered brutal beatings and scourging, many onlookers bore witness to His historically tragic, and eternity altering death. But the witnesses of Christ's death were not only on the ground but on each side of him, two criminals on crosses as well.

One of the men hanging beside Jesus spat blasphemy, daring Him to save Himself and the criminals beside Him to prove His deity. Luke 23:40 says that the other man rebuked this demand, saying to him, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."

What happened next to me is beautiful and humbling, truly proving Jesus' identity and loving kindness. The man who clearly understood that he was being punished for a crime he had committed and was wrong, and that Jesus was exactly who He had always claimed to be said to Him, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." Such a simple sentence and such a pleadingly bold request. And Jesus, so near to death, said to this man, this believer who was so clearly a sinful person, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise."

These were Jesus' last words to another human on this Earth before he died and arose. His words welcomed a man who had committed a heinous enough crime to deserve hanging on a cross, into the kingdom of Heaven. How great is this love He has that He would do such a thing?

This part of the story of Jesus' death speaks volumes to me in the simplicity and significance of it. Those around us will doubt our faith, our intentions, our God. They may mock us and try us, tempting and testing the very foundation of our beliefs. But no matter how dirty, lowly, awful, or wrong our life has been- Jesus is standing there, arms wide open, waiting for us to come to terms with who He truly is. He really just wants us to identify His sacrifice and accept His love, death, and resurrection. He just asks us to believe. That is the only demand that the actual, physical, Son of God demands of us. It often isn't the criminals or lost people in our lives that cause us to stumble in our walk, but sometimes it is those closest to us that put a seed of doubt in our faith. Sometimes the most pious seeming people are those worthy of the greatest condemnation, guilty of hypocrisy. No matter the case, we are on equal grounds in the eyes of The One who holds our eternity in His hands. We are all the same to Him, and we are all worth the sacrifice He made. He loves us all THAT much.

This speaks to me so loudly, allowing the sound of my failures and pain to fade into the background and focus on the words that really matter, the promise of a Savior that is open to all who are willing, "...you will be with Me in paradise."

Paradise. Can you imagine? No false idols or Greek gods have promised a thing so great, because no such created thing has ever lived on this Earth as we do, and died in the place of all those who are deserving of death, which is every being who has ever lived. That is truly the gift of a Savior.

Happy Easter

:)