Coffee with Langston

It's interesting reading
words, barely a century
removed
yet still so vibrant
off the page
as if Langston was
sitting right across from me

um, Excuse me Mr. Hughes
do you mind if I call you Langston

Powerful words inked
on the pages of a book
of life and love
and death
echoing the sentiments of
poets and prophets past

do you mind the comparison?

Inspiring another young
man of color
to write his own
words and verses
to tell his own
story and saga
to preform his own
song and dance

not that I would ever
compare myself to you

I am twenty-two
and colored
which implies something
different now
than even a half century ago
but the struggles remain
of being young and dumb
and considered insane

would you like another cup?

I write this as a tribute
to Mr. Hughes
who has inspired generations
to hold fast to dreams
to give voice to the voiceless

thank you, Langston, for your time

Bird Song

tell me little bird
have you ever felt
regret for a missed
note, an off time melody
or is everything
that comes out
as you inteneded it to be

to have such confidence and grace
what price i would not pay

Sail on past the Carcharodon

I took the time
to set a course
for that glorious shore

i set my sights
on the distant future
using past actions and
past quarrels
as warning for the tides
to come

but the wind on these waters
changes as it wishes
the waves roll on and on

i lost my bearings
in the fog
and now i'm lost
as to where
to go from here

again

i took the time
to set a course
for that glorious shore

knowing full well that
without the One
who controls the winds and sea

i will become nothing more
than meat between teeth

Still Small Noises

I'm just trying to find
a way inside
a way to navigate
these mines
a way around the present
straight to the future and
back again
to get a grasp
on my reality
so i will know when to go
when to stay
who to pursue
when to disengage
i am tired of my limited
perception
i want an in
to the thoughts of others
i want to learn to read
people instead of pages
bound between covers

you sure don't make this easy
reading you is like looking
through muddy waters
only a few inches are visible
the rest is a mess
i am depressed
like an open can of jam

pop

open
contents poured out
but you
you sure don't make this easy

oh i thought i found
the angel for me but
she pays me no mind

i will trust You in all things
including this
where my attempts
are less hit than miss

speak words to tame
my restless soul
i know fire, wind, and quake
is where You are not
for You speak in still small voices

i am surrounded my still small noises

reach down as i reach up
to the One who breathed life
into Adam

breathe into me now

I Set a Course for Land

You have ruined me
from the start
and I am taking it
to heart
that You are
writing the plot

You are tediously
untying my knots

I may set my heading
but
You control the waves
that I am treading

O Lord, holder of the winds
You have power to change
my course at a whim
I am mindful that You guide me
that you unlocked my mind
set me free

Sing Sister Sing

Your smile is intoxicating
your eyes are bright as the moon
your spirit is disarming
breaking down my hard heart
injecting it with love

am i falling in love with you?

maybe

but even more
i am falling in love with
the One who made you
your contagious laughter
your angelic voice
your amazing beauty
directing my gaze to the heavens

sing sister sing
to the One who created
the heavens and the earth

and you

dance before your king
laugh with joy
sing sister sing

Ganesh and Me

The smells of urine and incense
fill the air
mixing into something
all it's own
the road is blocked
by people demonstrating
what? taha chaina

buses and taxis
are at a standstill
as the crowd sings
and chants
for a better tomorrow
I take to the sidewalk
dodging half dressed children
and crippled old men
pedaling past a shrine
I notice the smell of
incense is stronger
but the drunk sprawled at the entrance
clues me in to
the power of his god

if that's what it
can be called

nothing more than a
rock housed in a
building ridiculously large
while its adherence
struggle to make ends meet
what power is this?

is it the same that
constructed cathedrals
while parishioners
starved?

is it the same that
constructs mega-churches
while its neighbors
go hungry?

without pointing fingers
i know where the problem lies

it lies in me

one more shrine
one more crowd
one more street kid
and i know
that the only respite
comes from above