When they come for you
Their voices snuffing yours out
Their actions rendering you impotent
Their wants diametrically opposing yours.
When desire disappears
And smiles elicit stares
And tears erase laughter
And touch terrifies.
When fiction fizzles
As truth sounds out a rhythm
At odds with your hopes
In step with your fears.
When energy lags
And peace is poetry
Incompatible to your prose
And blood is thinner than water.
When time rushes on
And leaves you unsteady
With gaps in your recall
Too wide to cover with notes.
When joy is a piece of cake
Or a cat’s meow
Or an old love song
Or a forgotten phrase.
When they leave you alone
To cover up the scars
To pick up the pieces
To shore up the walls.
Brick by brick
Piece by piece
With tattoos of triumph
Your billboards of acclaim.
To issue statements of conviction
To write lyrics to live by
To sport whiskers of witness
That winning is believing.
Taking names
Leaving crumbs
Holding fast
Pounding and pushing.
Borrowing from history
Rewriting the conclusion
Drawing family from fracture
Painting a new picture
Embracing tomorrow
Bringing a fresh tab of answers
As you constantly ponder
What to do?
Life Verbs
Write
When the pen is full
And the heart is open,
Read
Until dusk turns into dawn
And the words start to make sense,
Sing
With soulful pitch
And a thankful spirit,
Speak
After you have prayed
And God touches your tongue,
Run
Far away from trouble
And toward the light of peace,
Walk
With reverence upon the earth
And taller than every doubt,
Remember
How God led you yesterday
And that today is another gift,
Pray
Like you are talking to a friend
And heed the answer he sends,
Think
Fast, kind, long, hard
And then act like you give a care,
Wait
For the moment, the place, the person
And keep moving until you get there
Reach
Up to that which will make you grow
And back to those who still fear,
Give
Back to the community of your growth
And into your better self,
Stand
Firm on your cherished beliefs
Until knowledge reveals a better way,
Study
Deep into a subject
And yield to the convictions therein,
Share
A good thought and a prized possession
And see one produce many more,
Smile
Even when it hurts
And muscle the tears away,
Watch
That you do not lose hope
And check that you are on the right path
Do
Something good each day
And something right each time.
Shake and Roll
There is no rain
Yet
