Jump

This high,

I know that only stupid people

Fly like birds.

The only way forward

Is to jump,

But dare I trust

This parachute?

I taste the sky

And smile;

Am I drunk

On my dreams?

Maybe, I’m just a little crazy

This high,

But I know you’re here…

And I jump.

Coordinates

We like to measure holiness

Upon a number line,

Where everyone falls into place

From one to ninety-nine—

But faith is four dimensional,

Each person climbs at her own pace;

Our haughty measurements

Can’t calculate her place.

Clues

The night sky is a chandelier
That’s covered with fingerprints,
Our minds can’t grasp infinity,
But starlight leaves us hints—

The roses shine like drops of blood
And leave a crimson trail,
So all who follow their deductions
May find the Holy Grail—

The sleuths examining a soul
May swipe God’s DNA;
The clues all point to one conclusion:
That love is on display.

Elephants

When the first elephant stepped in the room
It was easy for me to step aside,
To carry on a conversation
With only occasional nervous glances
At the elephant,
Wondering when you would chase it out.

When the seconded came blundering in
I stepped back,
But I could still shout when I wanted to talk to you,
And speculate about the absurdity
Of the elephants in the room.

When the third came charging in
It pinned me against the wall,
And it was no longer possible to see you
Or hear you;
I could only gasp at the weight
Of a gray rump that squeezed my heart,
And I cried at the thought
Of the room we once shared.

I know we’re not supposed to think about
The elephants in the room,
But I don’t even know who you are any more.
The elephants may be ten times my size,
But for once in my life I’m going to ignore etiquette
And push back,
Simply because
I miss you.

Miser

I am a miser
Of memories;
When a moment catches my eye
I put it in a jar,
And place the jar
Just so—
On a shelf in my heart.

I hoard memory after memory,
Collecting jar after jar,
And each one I place
Just so—
Lining jar after jar
In shiny little rows
That sparkle like jewels.

I’m the one who looks in nooks
And turns over stones
Whenever I am out;
I wait for that moment
When my daughter smiles,
When my son laughs,
Or when you, my love,
Light up my heart,
And
— Click!—
A picture formed
Just so—
Another memory saved
For my rows of jars.

In my leisure
I stroll through my treasures;
I arrange them
And rearrange them
Until each one is
Just so—
And then I smile at every sparkle
Echoed through row after row,
Each golden piece glittering
With glimpses of you.

I am a miser
Of memories,
And when I look at the collection
I have hoarded,
Each jar lined up
Just so—
I know
I am rich.

Turning the Other Cheek

You could have summoned angel hordes
With just a single word,
You could have exacted just revenge
And put them to the sword;
Instead you let them mar your image
And make you look absurd—

With the blood of God within your veins,
You didn’t have to turn your cheek,
You could have turned the cross to ashes
And trampled Rome beneath your feet;
Instead you let them torture you,
Appearing frail and weak—

But greater deeds by far took place
When mercy was awoken,
Through death forgiveness won the day,
The final word was spoken:
Hate was overturned by love,
And the grave itself was broken.

Ocean

“... because if grace is water, the Church should be an ocean” –Jefferson Bethke

Grace is the water which brought life
To the arid soil
Of my heart;
It is grace
That washes over the stains
Of my soul,
And brings me to the harbor
Of my Father’s arms.

I want the water to overflow the bounds
Of my heart,
To pour into the lives
Of those I love.
I offer my heart to you,
My friends,
But sometimes, as I stand here,
I feel more like an oasis
Than a part
Of the ocean
We were meant to be.

Where are the waves,
Oh Church?
Where are the rivers
Of mercy,
Unfathomable,
Unstoppable?
Where is a love
So deep
No wall could stand against it?

We should be the ocean.
The waves should swell
With grace,
Should roll
With grace,
Should roar
With grace.
May we drown the deserts,
Oh Church;
May we seal the craters we’ve created—
May we bring the life
They long for,
Filling, at last,
The hearts that thirst for love.

If My Heart Had Not Been Broken

If my heart had not been broken
Would chains still bind my wrists?—
The perfect rules for a perfect life
The zealous heart enlists—

If I had not been pierced within
Could I have reached the sky?
Or would’ve the prison I once built
Kept me enclosed inside?

The bulwarks of my legalism
Have all been undermined
By the splinters of a shattered heart
Which love had left behind—

I’d rather not relive those months,
But, looking back, I know
The rainy days prepared the ground
For little seeds to grow.

Welcome to our World

The inn was out of rooms,
And every single occupant
Was too selfish
To give up their room to a woman
About to give birth,
So you were born
In a stable—
Welcome to our world…

The people were too busy
To watch the stars,
So they ran from here to there,
Wrapped up in their calendars,
Unaware that God Himself
Has come to their little town—
Welcome to our world…

The king was jealous
Of a little boy,
So he killed thousands of beloved sons
To save his pride,
Leaving a wilderness
Of ungrace—
Welcome to our world…

But you have come
To change the tide;
God stooped down
To this broken world,
Becoming a man
Wrapped up in caring for others,
Bringing grace
To this wilderness:
Welcome to our world!

Broken Smile

He received Mona Lisa
As a gift,
And never considered
That her smile
Was worth far more
Than he could even
Imagine.

He choose
To scar her beauty;
He used a knife to tear
The smile in two.
What drove his hand
I do not know;
Was it carelessness
Or stupidity,
Or did he break her smile
With selfish conceit
Just because he could?

Now she can’t be sold;
Even a thief
Would not touch her,
Because her broken smile
Hides the beauty
She once claimed.

But when a man sees past
The broken smile
And chooses to repair
The damage done,
He will find what was hidden
By the scars:
A treasure
Beyond measure.