Like Eagles

The sky in your face
...Horizon at your feet
Hold tight to your courage
...'Lest it try to break
One step only left
...Between the edge and the sky
And yet you will find
...It's a step you must take.

An instant to pause
...A deep breath to take
The catch in your throat
...The rush as you fall
Singing the cold wind
...That pulls at your hair
Your heart in your eyes
...As you give life your all

The hard, jolting pull
...Like the sound of a sail
Feathers unfurling to catch
...The last light of day
And your heart lifts again
...As you rise on the wind
And your wings bear you
...Swiftly away.

Isaiah 40...for they will rise with wings like eagles...they will run, and not be weary...they will walk, and not faint...

Silence

Stripped of daylight's harsh conceit
In a lonely world, as I search for proof
That other tired hearts still beat
The pull of the moonlight is bittersweet
Where it flows in a pool above the roof

No soul disturbs the brooding dark
Except by need, or necessity
Only cat's footsteps to remark
As I search for proof that there's a spark
Of others alive in this midnight sea

Fugitive Dreamer

I too have felt a fugitive's fear
Terror of footsteps drawing near
A hunter's tread on the forest track
Bid you flee and not look back
'Lest your nightmare should appear

Beating wings and heart's distress
Pulled down to the earth to rest
Hidden deep in leafy mold
Protection not just from the cold
Above the world on the rocky crest

And yet, safety eludes the night
The woods below disgorge a light
Voices thunder from the dark
So sure are they to close their mark
Who silently gasps, shrinks out of sight

The crevice is cold, the wind whips high
Sequestered I hear my guardian die
They swamp the ledge--I hold my breath
Their heavy boots resound with death
One pauses, turns to catch my eye

Chilling fear snatches my breath away
Knowledge that I'll die this day
A single second left to act
Freeze still, my liberty intact,
Compassion, before he turns away

Still shocked to stillness by his eyes
My capture takes me by surprise
Assassin's hand a hammer sledge
Suddenly flung aloft from the ledge
Wings beating frozen starlit skies

Immortality

They rode off into the clear midnight
Into the sunrise, into the pouring rain
Towards a hard fight, a quick death
Or a victorious finish; this immortality
Had a hard grip on their souls
Whether for freedom, or true love,
Or the heady rush that only battle brings
Still, whatever the reason, they gave themselves to it
Gave in to fate, stronger than questions
Honor that cannot say no
But thinking, I wonder, did any of them regret…?

The young one, hands toughened but not yet
Stained with blood he has no right to
Looking back from his horse towards
The place he called home, the ones
He leaves for
The old one, bidding farewell to long summer evenings
And masses of laughing grandchildren
Scrambling to climb towering trees he planted
The strong one whose last sight
Was of his wife
Hands caressing the life she carries
Do they regret the path of immortality that
Carries them away?

I wonder how their stories ended
And I wonder how many of them returned
And, of those who did, how many
Decided immortality was worth it

One Shot

We only get one shot at this life
Only so many trips around the sun
Too many times to watch the sun set
And wish the day had just begun

A precious few days to take a chance
Only a few chances to take a bow
Tomorrow is the moment for that, right?
But the only one you're promised is right now

Only so many days, even less nights
To wait for the sun to rise again
And pray--thank God for one more day
Of sunshine and laughter and friends

Sing for You

I want to sing, but know my voice
Is not equal to the task you’ve set
And yet I’ll lift it anyway
Praising with my soul until my
Spirit dances free
To be one note of your joyous laughter
Echoing eternally throughout
The very arch of heaven, where the stars
Rejoice as well
Sometimes I cannot tell if they are shining
Or smiling or simply trying to show
An ugly world that
Though we feel alone, abandoned
Light will reign again
I breath “Amen” and throw my head back
Spread my arms to hold the day inside
But I cannot hide the way the sun
Reflects off of my soul
The joy that you made whole and new
And so
I'll sing for you

Lullaby for the Evening

Wake now, little wild thing
The sun has gone to bed, and we
Until the hour of daylight comes
Are loosed to wander free

To wander free, little wild one
To stretch and run, to greet the night
Shake the sleep from you, and then
Give in to your delight

Give in to your lively playfulness
Oh wild one so small
But don’t forget to wander home
When daylight starts to fall

Midnight Lullabies

Recently I found myself humming this beatiful little melody, so I made words for it and turned it into a lullaby.

Hush now, little love of mine
The night is still young
The moon is still rising, the stars haven't sung

Hush now, little love of mine
The moon lights your face
The night breezes whisper, the stars dance in place

Hush now, little love of mine
Blink the night from your eyes
The stars have all hidden to watch the sun rise

Perfect Stranger

This is from sometime this summer...not quite sure when.

A perfect stranger is flawless
As far as you can see
A justifiable perception
When outside reality
A sidelong glance and a cautious smile
Perhaps a quick “hello” after a while
To ease the silence when you meet
And familiarity will bring its flaws
Time counteracts unconcious deceit
Reveals quirks and ready laughter
And I’m happy now because
The perfect stranger became, in the end
No longer a stranger, no longer perfect
But a friend

I Tried

I tried to be honest, I tried to be real
But perfection was out of my reach
So I gave up completely
Turned my back on your presence
I tried to forget I could feel

But I sense you tonight
And I'm shocked that the stars can be so bright
When the night is so dark
Or perhaps it's just the black of my heart
The darkness I couldn't conceal
But I can feel again

I had wandered alone after I pulled away
Until my soul was small and chilled
Keeping my heart frozen hurt less
But the pain was relentless
‘Til you woke what I thought I had killed

So God, I'll be honest, and I'm scared to death
Here with my back to the wall
Face to face with my self
All my own inner demons
It seems that they're all I have left

But I feel you tonight
And I'm shocked that the stars can be so bright
When the night is so dark
Perhaps it’s not my heart
Could it be that the black wasn't real
For I can feel again

After so long can you blame me for pausing
A little afraid and slightly unsure
Is it true I'm not evil
Not alone or abandoned
Is it possible that I never was

I can feel, oh yes I can sense you now
All the brightness and sadness and love that you are
You’ve taken my pain and threw it so far away
So far, so very far

For I feel you tonight
And rejoice in the stars that carry heaven's light
Midnight will never be so dark
With this silver light in my heart
I'll never be alone in the night
It's all right--I can feel you again

Masquerade

Twirl me through this masquerade
Through flying streaks of color
Laugh behind some masks we've made
And cry behind the others
I'll catch a glimpse of what's behind
The truths your eyes conceal
So look, for who know what you'll find?
Search my face--I'm real
I'm done with leaving things to chance
Suprised I got so far
Dare with me to end this dance
Around who we truly are

'Twas the Night

‘Tis the night before Christmas—but the tales I contest
For I find that on Christmas Eve there is no rest
My mom just put up our fake tree, for Pete’s sake
And I guarantee the thing won’t come down ‘til spring break
Our "green Christmas" is brown and appallingly mild
And the insane little foster kid is driving us wild
Not a soul can catch Remy, much less try to mind him
As he flies through the party, leaving chaos behind him
My dog keeps on barking as people show up
And nobody keeps track of their red plastic cup
I hope my sheriff uncle doesn’t wander up here
Because I think Jeff just shot one of Santa’s reindeer
Later, when the adults chatsy amongst themselves,
I think that we young ones will hunt down some elves
In our warm living room, a fire blazes away
And nobody’s hungry—we’ve been “grazing” all day
The boys ran out to rent movies, though any fool knows
That come Christmas Eve, the stores are all closed
They raced through the rain, got there five minutes late
But they missed out on sympathy, ‘cause we thought it was great
What a warped senses of humor—only Alex would try
And induce my poor mommy to watch “Family Guy”
The party would have lasted a bit longer, I suppose
If Remy hadn’t gone streaking, after shedding his clothes
So ‘tis the night before Christmas, with my strange family
Yet I know that I love them, and that they love me