Next to you,
I might stay a little longer
Next to you,
I might talk a little more
Next to you,
I might say things, unlike before

Next to you,
the words of the crow
soften like the dove
Next to you,
my heart aches with love

Next to you,
I silently cry
for at the end of it all
Romeo and Juliet
die.

LORD you set me free
This is where I want to be
No more sorrow
Only brighter tomorrow”s
LORD, you helped me see
For a brighter future
I traveled a long road
Only you made me see
This is how I want to be
Let me be, set me free
I’m on my way
LORD, I will make you proud
I’m on my way
You set me free
You set me free

My legs lead,
My feet stone.
I walk this path alone.

My head mischievous,
My heart gullible.
I push on with my trouble.

My heart broken,
My pride lost.
Fighting through life—at what cost?

My pride shattered,  
My hope thin.  
Fighting battles I can’t win.  

My head tired,
My pride gone.
I often struggled on.

My days heavy,
My nights long.
Nowhere felt like I belong.

My hands empty,
My chest tight.
I lost my will to fight.

My legs lead,
My feet stone.
I walked this path alone.

Then came you,
Steady and bright,
Pulling me back, giving me fight.

Your voice steady,
Your touch kind.
You pulled me from my troubled mind.

My steps lighter,
My heart strong.
With you, I’ve found where I belong.

Now with you,
Hand in hand,
Alone, I no longer stand.

My legs steady,
My feet free.
All because you walk with me.

Flickering candles
They Dance
Burning the wick
They dance
Some stretching tall
They dance
Some so small
They dance!
Burning bright
They dance
Giving light
They dance
And that’s not all
They dance!

I miss my little brother. Especially at harvest. He was a hard worker – strong back and long reach. The kind of brother you want around.

‘Course, there was much more to him than strength and size. His art demonstrates that. He used to love experimenting with oils in his down time and had a knack for vivid battle scenes.

They say you paint what you know and not a year went by when he wasn’t called up for service. They would come to the farm to say the king needed him, and there was no refusing that call.

What he saw on the front line haunted him. So much was expected of him of course, but I think we overestimated his ability to cope with the ordeal of combat. Folk mistook his stature for a propensity for violence that needed release. We knew different. He was happier in the fields.  

I heard dad talking with him while he painted. It was clear my brother knew the value of a champion. The lives saved. The men who got to go back to their farms and families. The gods had gifted him, dad said. But when I see his canvases, that’s where I see the gift. Lasting reminders of the trauma that lesser men can wrought. Reminders of the suffering one man can save us from.

I miss Goliath.

I grabbed a string
And tied it around my neck
Made it tighter
And tighter
Until I couldn't breathe
Threw one end over my door
And pulled
I wear a red line on my neck
Almost had blue lips
Almost died
But my mom
Found me
And cut it off
I wish she never did