Flicking through yellowed pages
Of words written by younger hands
Of tormented scrawlings
Of tear-soaked memories
And love-eyed tales of autumn
Hoping to find something new
In what mattered back then
Or how the world looked
When seen through a mask

Perhaps I have found
A better place to start from,
Or nothing will change

He will never let me down
Never lose the fight
The glory of his word
Stands up against the night
At the centre of it all
An everlasting light
Hope to the hopeless.

Our fear set free
But still human beings,
So hesitate, worry, panic and doubt
That everything will be OK
That our problems can be sorted out
So easily
So simply
Beautiful, merciful,
Graceful Grace
Beyond comprehension
Broken tension
And proclamation:
We are his.

Lord you are the queen of my heart,
I am your daughter,
Invited into your royal house,
A place I don't deserve,
And invited to share my place
To share a wondrous gift
Allow those I love to be loved
More than I could ever love them
Alone

If I saw this light from another angle
It would take upon a different shade
Where I have arrived now, I could only
Have got here from just one way.

It's okay to think "Why did that happen?"
"Why couldn't it have been easier for me?"
But we are the product of our trials and commitments
Are tested and strengthened through difficulty.

Here, in truth, we're found
Unified upon this common ground
Divided hearts held together
Secured by jagged edges.

Here, in hope, we're loved
Wrapped in scarves and gloves
By an over-fussy mother
Determined to keep us warm.

Here, in strength, we stand
Arm in arm, hand in hand
And we know we cannot fall
We are: One for All

From the far-off edges
The voices jumble in disharmony
Lost, confused dissonance commands the air
But drawn in, by unseen will,
Unknown intentions reach them
And you
Close to the centre
As words merge, overlap and mix
And in glorious difference declare
We Are.

I am an author, except
My plotlines are mostly inept,
I have lots of sparks,
But no story arcs,
So poetry's where they are kept.

Lost in translation
The fire, passion, hunger,
Reduced to charcoal.

Time slips over me
Pointless thoughts command my mind
Another night wasted.

I am unremarkable
My being here makes little difference
To more than close family
Yet I am told I could
Be something more than that
That I could run alongside and
Pluck reality from its path but
I am unremarkable
That I am unique and different
Offers no importance to my existence
Nor does it foster pride or courage
Rather it reassures my belief
That alone I am too small
To change anything
I am unremarkable
Yes, I am a minority but
That never made me happy
Nor does it make me interesting
As more than an exhibit
Who am I is not who I choose to be
So judge me on my choice to be
Unremarkably human.

In the heart of the evening,
Alone but for the passive hum of the fridge,
Waiting for the creeping force of fatigue
To press down upon my eyes.

He comes each night to interrupt,
To steal away my hours that march on unwavered,
And pass by without interest
In a solitary sleeping girl.

And from Him, She takes my limp body,
To sweeten the inescapable emptiness,
With promises, tales and memories
Crafted from my own

How dare they keep the camera's eyes on her face?
That's not what 'everyone' wants to see!
What purpose does she serve but to be ogled,
Or give Him something to live for?
And what is it with films these days,
Handing out female leads?
How am I supposed to immerse myself
In a body so weak and vulnerable to attack
From people like Me?
And how dare they let her save the day,
When she's supposed to be rescued?
How can I feel important if I can't be the one
Protecting her with the muscles I earned by being
Born one way, not the other?
And why isn't she falling apart and crying?
It's so unrealistic that she'd be able to keep
her fragile emotions under control,
Shouldn't she be scared at the sight of danger?
How is He supposed to comfort her
If she doesn't need it?!

How is she supposed to believe in herself,
If every time someone tells her she's capable,
You're** there to prove her wrong?