a hardened heart pressures spiritual detritus
ashes make charcoal I cling to for comfort
flammable riches,
my pride a stockpile of darkness
enlightened and lit from a spark up above

deign to enter my soul with footsteps made ******
palpitations afraid of the weight of Your presence
I tremble and wince at transgressions made malleable
what I thought were good bones,
brittle calcified sins

buckle and give to cleansing by fire,
almsgiving of flames burn me straight to my core
an allowance of dwelling I can never repay
save my corporeal mortgage from defaulting to form

fog of spiritual warfare,
nous blinded by soot
biding time, I pray for mutual abiding
gasping for breath and grasping for life,
I flee from the perishing smolders of self

I'd like some sugar in my tea:
souvenir of sweetness,
saccharine delight

remind me of simpler, cloying times
nostalgia bittersweet,
a peachy respite

ubiquitous stanzas,
grounded community
found in the perforations we leave

lips parted,
professing shared sorrows still joyous
threaded within tapestries we weave

in trying times
energy expended
attempting temptations on the back of the shelf

cobwebs and mothballs
make light work of feasting
my apprehensive appendages
afraid they'll bite back

the gift of presence,
an appetizer to share
cheeks chubby with words unspoken

a fresh clause seeks independence;
ellipses follow and question
an epiphany of aloneness

a pensive suspension aloft in mid air
wings ****** in for brevity
short on breath,
scared of heights

a compass spins wildly
in the face of misdirection
riddled by parachutes
free falling in flight

compose my composition
for a golden ratio shimmers anew

a whirlwind woman whipped by wisps
transfigured out of a precious spiral
reframed to behold a glorious ascent

shackles of shame broken asunder
abreast of the ***** of forgiveness
transgressions lost at the sea of repentance

the tidings roar,
drowning out my plaintive, prodigal cries

the leprous sores of my soul
lapped and encircled by cerulean tempests

I boldly offer myself to be swallowed whole

resplendent ripples of bedewed flames
cast upon my darkened soul

an anointing of grace
lays buoyant atop my shy understanding

warmth waft, arise to dry my cries
gradient radiance bless my life everlasting

deign to meet me on my knees,
my head cast down with hopes raised high

shield my weakness and bless me to shine,
praying for a peaceful departure

she's beautiful the way she flies
with time upon her wings
a sussurus of sand elapsing
a due date for heartstrings

forgiveness foretold seventy times seven
hopes outstretched and reaching towards heaven

when I dwell in You, I shall not want
pen my life story in a baptismal font

a bouquet of jasmine
held with a bushel of pecks
to satiate a peckish heart

a longing way to go
we push past mirages
running while chaste
to a tangible start

echoes and ripples a stone's throw away
on a body of water, corporeal form
atop spiritual warfare, ethereal disturbance
assured by a shoreline longing for warmth

clowning around juggling rings of fire
entranced by dichromatic sunbeams eclipse
an annular event set to bloom annually
petals unfurling on a time lapse of bliss

a range of emotions shines brightly in daylight
barred from the sparkle of candlelight's kiss
cheekily dancing around a bonfire burning
cardinals alight on a preordained niche

fall into him
while I fall into You
a romcom encounter
in the absence of pews

ambient roses
martyrdom's smile
mariposas aflutter
to stay for a while

guanábanas y piñas
le digo a las frutas: te amo

newly illumined, agua de vida
estoy aprendiendo como me llamo

an umbrage de gloria
blankets el cielo

en Dios, yo encuantro
felicidad bellows

un poquito de mantequilla
para la salud tu alma

las coquis y mariposas
ellos vivas mas calmas

bare my teeth
lay bare my soul
before it's too late

a penitent paper tiger
praying not to immolate

deified detritus
shed my snake skin sin

the apple of His eyes
transfigured from within

plaintive passion
nimble nimbus
reign on us from high

cast me down
and raise my gaze
with reverence I cry

bibelot of Babylon
put to death or dearth

precious precocial Person
born on the world to unearth

ascend to kiss the clouds
we dare to fly on high

seven pilgrims on a mission
to venerate the sky

two from a chrysalis emerge as one
a monarch born to glorify The Son

a crowning of glory,
a martyrdom beaming
ahead lies the kingdom
awakened from dreaming

crossing over umbrage
on a bridge towards heaven
shading our eyes through fields of grey

through dappled eyelashes
look for promised remembrance

clamor to put away clamor
day by day

on a tightrope of blessings
hands clasped in prayer
a twinkle of mischief
entrapped in a stare

no ocean in sight
yet adrift in your eyes
a score swells of Love
zeroing in from the sky

you'll find me in ellipses...

in brightly threaded trails of breadcrumbs
meandering in fields of honeysuckle dew
in unspoken stanzas and lilting prayers
in abated passions under bated breath
in unabashed hollers and whispered streams
in the whitespace where my hopes reside

you'll find me wanting, wonting...
waiting for Him.

rivulets of repentance
carve streams in my cheeks

assail upon my sorrow
comfort he who seeks

kaleidoscope of witnesses
chromatic starbursts of grace

inexhaustible spring of mercy
rain down upon my face

dip my toe in the mystery of immersion
dabble in dappling with dew

a cog in the wheel of cogitation
a mustard seed will birth anew

prodigal son clothed in cerulean
adrift atop my static soul

a tempest stains gray areas red
put to death the man of old

pray on your wrist a wistful wish
shut your eyes to a bloodshot hue

born to fulfill a transfigured niche
umbilical grace shining through

a tangible taste
transference of grace

a snake forsaken
for old times' sake

look up
keep watch
a vigilant face

arise drenched in mercy
sins erased

spiritual sussurus
whispering wisp
whip into shape
to give Thee a kiss

rebirth on horizon
labyrinth of light
radiant grace
raise beams of delight

cleansing drops of saline
weep over salvation's tome

brace my sails to brave an ocean
afraid I'll combust if I go home

take butter knives to butterflies
alight mid-flight in a *** set to simmer

a concentration, clarification
dressed in Sunday best, their golden wings glimmer

settling susurrus, a flurry aflutter
a conga of monarchs one after the other

taste buds taking two-steps to make room for more
the doe-eyed processions march in counts of four

map our trail in starbursts
kaleidoscopic eclipses in the sky

cosmos dripping from my paintbrush
stroking "what"s and stippling "why"s

questions, chromatic aberrations
a twinkle dancing in my eyes

a pause in time
my lips profess a parting, not goodbye

I rest my head on the palm of Your hand,
warming myself in its merciful folds

where promising promises of promised lands
nostalgically echo a Love foretold.

a patina conception
just budding in stride
initial unfurling
of petals inside

whether a storm,
still yet to decide
a striking horizon
softly stirs the tide

take butter knives to butterflies,
pump my cheeks with air to cushion their stay.

the views from the rooftop of my mouth
cloudy with bubbles of champagne laughter.

a flurry aflutter beats back the haze,
hoping to catch a glimpse of forever.

spiritual striation light my path
a focused array too hazy to grasp

my grip soft like putty
sand slips through the cracks

my hands unaccustomed
still grace everlasts

a flammable affinity,
emblazoned for The Trinity.

we pray our perishable parish
won't expire 'til infinity.

mere moths swarming at The Source of Light--
fettered and fattened,
hatchlings born battened
to bonds of sin--
our ancestral birthright.

manifesting an ephemeral destination,
we fools hasten to the west
where the sun sets opposing everlasting
a whisper of grace
pierces through the cacophony of death

prolifically infused with Life:
a steady seeping,
prophetic weeping,
climbing from the depths of strife.

Spiritual Centrifugal
wring me of my wrongs.
Osmosis of my soul
keep me awake in song.

now dawns the mourning of choice:
to be smitten or smote,
but a whisper of smoke--

incensed by yourself.

teardrop prism,
graceful dew
beaded upon my stillborn heart,

pool in the roots in my soul,
Holy Spirit take hold,

grant me an honorable transfusion.
make my dead end a good start.

cure my faith astigmatism.
corruptible corporeal
fumbling in the darkness,
straining to focus on the Light.