Drop Lightning Like It's Hot

I am twenty two
and confused
i am stumbling
in the dark
without a clue
all i have are
my predecessors'
flashlights
my peers'
night lights
what i need is a
spotlight
to pierce the fog
and show me the way
back home
to where ever
i should be

with every headline
i am reminded
that this is not
my home

but where is?

let fire fall
from the heavens
let a thunderous
voice proclaim

Come hither and
no further

Do this, that
and the other
for it has been blessed

i am seeking revelation
but You are less revealing
than amish pornography
i am more wanting
than a crack head
five days without a hit

if Your face has
turned from me
i will spin in cartwheels
to grab Your attention

drop lightning like
it's hot and say

This one you shall marry
Be fruitful and multiply

anything would be great
really
a whisper through the night
anything

my nose is flat
from too many
doors closed in my face
my arms are sore
from broken oars
if there's a waterfall
ahead
please give me warning
i know how to swim
i just need a little
warning

Sleeveless Tricks

You've got me saying
words i haven't
spoken in a loooong time

You've got me feeling
like i haven't
felt in a looooong time

We probably won't speak
not a word
for a loooong time

i don't know

about you
about me

You're great
(but he's greater)

i've seen this before
yet
something seems different

God is sovereign.
a pretty girl
told me this once
at first i doubted
but now
i know this to be true

it will take time to heal
it always does

I will always be here.
she tells me
and again i do not believe
because she is not here
right now
but in time maybe this too
will prove to be true

Air Can Only Replace Itself (It Can't Replace You)

Where once my eyes
were met by the heavens
there is air

where once my ears
heard the sound of angels
there is air

where once i faced
a smile so true
there is air

where once was
joy and laughter
there is air

I looked in all the usual spots
everything is, but you are not
next to me an empty chair
what is there, not you, but air

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