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3.3k · Jun 2018
The 99
Linus Stevenson Jun 2018
Let me tell you a story
Listen and learn
There was a Shepherd, a good Shepherd
Kind and loving, courageous and strong
He had 100 sheep
and the sheep loved the Shepherd
And so when one sheep wandered
The good Shepherd left the 99
And went after the one

And you might think you know this story
But I'm afraid it's not what you think
Because I am not the one...

I am one of the 99 left behind
Waiting for the Sheppard to return
Trapped by the walls of this fence
The posts and wooden planks
That contain us
Being lead by the very sheep that are
We walk in circles around the pen
Around and around... circles
Eating up the food we have
We begin to eat each other
And as demented as that sounds
It's true
Biting and gnawing
Bleeding and bruising
We turn to other sheep for nourishment
For truth... for guidance
But we are sheep all the same
Another one of the 99 left behind

Sheep is what we are
Be careful not to tater your fur
Careful not to tear or cut
To show the underneath
The skin that doesn't flatter but
Burns with the red of your hate
Your pride... Your sin

When will the Sheppard return
And open the fence
Lead to new grass
and water

There are sheep I've never seen before
Black sheep.
have you seen black sheep?
Yes sheep with spots but these sheep
They are black from head to toe
Their snouts are long and
they have sharp teeth
Strange that they have not hooves but paws
Appearing as wolves wearing sheeps clothing
They are mending the fence
The fence! It's broken!
Suddenly we realize we are not safe
Quickly, grab your hammer and nails!
Let us work with these black sheep...
to mend... the fence... around... us

Who built this fence?
Was it the Sheppard?
Cloudy as my memories be of the man
with the scars in his hands and side
This does not resemble his work
Who... built... these... walls?
These bars... This cell
With no key and a steeple?
Oh God, who built these walls?
No it wasn't the sheppard.
The walls he built had doors
And windows to let the light in
No... We have built these walls
The 99 left behind were not left...
We left.

We left the fence! The pasture!
The place of love and safety.

We are not the 99 left behind but the one
We are the one who wandered and strayed
And seeing that we were in territory unsafe
We built walls without doors
that trapped us inside... in darkness

Sheppard,
Search
Find us
Break down
These walls
Rebuild them
With windows
To let the Light in
765 · May 2021
Too much
Linus Stevenson May 2021
We kissed and said goodbye
"Don't miss me too much" I teased
And you didn't.
723 · Mar 2018
Now...
Linus Stevenson Mar 2018
Now I remember, I remember.
I remember why I held so tight
On to my security and stability
On to my sanity and peace

Now I feel, I feel.
I feel what I had sworn
I would never again
Because the pain was too great

Now I know, I know.
I know why I grasped so firmly
Yet slipping, yet sliding down the path
Deeper into the woods

Now I let go, let go.
I've let go and begun, like a child reading for the first time
Full of curiosity and wonder to discover again

Now I wake, I wake.
I awake every morning thinking of you
Longing for your touch
Your whisper, your kiss

Now I understand, I understand.
I'm understanding...
When I remember
When I feel
When I know
When I let go
When I wake...
life is empty. Without your presence... missing, lacking, void.

So now I search, I search
I am eagerly and desperately searching
For the moments when I feel your touch on my shoulder... your whisper in the wind... your kiss.
For but only a memory... those are the moments when life is full and I remember why now I love, I love.
I love... you.
A cascade from the heart
592 · Apr 2019
let's put time in a cage
Linus Stevenson Apr 2019
let's put time in a cage
like a bird on a mantle
a canary to sing
of times gone by

let's put time in a cage
trap it here with us
hold it close to our hearts
and never let fly

let's put time in a cage
model the evergreen
live on in love
and never let die

let's put time in a cage
and open it when
each other we hold
hearts satisfy
For Kara
586 · Sep 2018
Always
Linus Stevenson Sep 2018
I said I would always be there for you,
but at some point
I stopped sleeping with my phone on ring
408 · Sep 2018
go back
Linus Stevenson Sep 2018
I don't go back because I want to relive it,
I go back because I want to pollute, dilute, and make minute the memory of us in this place.
404 · Dec 2017
One Day
Linus Stevenson Dec 2017
One day I will love,
and it will be radiant!
One day fiery passion
will singe my veins!

One day I will love,
and it will be decent.
One day muted strings,
and a monotonous melody.

One day I will love?
And will it be dreadful?
One day a knife,
and blood on the ground...
394 · Apr 2018
A(r)mor
Linus Stevenson Apr 2018
A(r)mor I wear
With drawstrings that dangle
Another layer to cover
A beating heart

Pulling sleeves
Covering wrists
Vulnerable but protected
Blood flowing, life

I see her, fair
Beauty and depth
Yet a frail and fragile heart
Not armed, not guarded

Like a piece of art
"Please be careful...
Sensitive to touch...
Handle with care"

She will wear my a(r)mor
And cover her wrists
Hood pulled over
Guarding from killing whispers

She will wear my a(r)mor
I will be without
Naked, defenseless, exposed
But she will have a(r)mor

My Armor, My Amor
367 · Feb 2018
"Souls"
Linus Stevenson Feb 2018
Like the soles of our shoes
We slip and we slide
We tear and we rip
And we leave pieces behind

Like the tread on the bottom
We wear and we tear
We grate and grind
Until nothing is there

Let us turn time back
When our feet did not stumble
When our shoes stood firm
And the path did not fumble

Let us mend the tears
Let us replace the tread
And once again stride
With passion ahead
340 · Oct 2018
For Sale:
Linus Stevenson Oct 2018
one Muse
never used - like new
possibly broken
never been able to get it to work
serious inquiries only
320 · Sep 2018
i can't
Linus Stevenson Sep 2018
i remember what it felt like,
but i can't feel it
i remember what it tasted like,
but i can't taste it
i remember what it smelled like,
but i can't smell it
i remember what it looked like,
but i can't see it
i remember what it sounded like,
but i can't hear it

i remember Love,
but i can't
298 · Jun 2018
bye?
Linus Stevenson Jun 2018
Have you every tried to say "goodbye"?
I mean painfully and strenuously try...
It truly is easy to say
With this I do not lie

"Goodbye, for a while" is what we mean
"See you later" or "some other time"
"Ta ta for now" and "until we meet again"
But plans can change on a dime

A "bye" between those who know it's the end
A "bye" said with head turned 'round
A "bye" between friends with hope but knowledge
Good friends are a hard thing found

This is "goodbye". The time has come
I find it hard to say without tears
And though our paths are split from here
I will never forget these years...
Goodbye, you'll never know how hard this is for me.
243 · Mar 2018
"Yet I am Well"
Linus Stevenson Mar 2018
When is "The One" the one?
When do hearts collide?
For one is beautiful...
Another is wise...

One possesses strength
Another kindness
Some virtue
Others mildness

The One I wait for
Is one indeed
And has all the qualities
Of the one I will need

But until she comes
This I must tell
All these I see
"Yet I am well"
Inspired by Benedick in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing
240 · Mar 2018
I Wrote this for my Parents
Linus Stevenson Mar 2018
I wrote this for my parents
to acknowledge the fact
sometimes I blunder
sometimes I fail
walk ahead
live love
learn
time falls
I must too
looking ahead
I will grow and know
stumbling is part of life
mistakes were made life was lived
218 · Jun 2019
I thought you were ready

— The End —