Feb 2015
1)
An Angelic Hymn
(minus the fear):
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The -- made them all.
Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
-- made their glowing colors,
-- made their tiny wings.
Gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
That the -- didn’t do this
so we’d forget the God in ourselves.
2)
Like, is it cool to be “grown” and still have a soft heart?
Na, I’ll just be a chronic cracking dehydrated mirror
I’ll just beeeee
that guy who wastes his entire year...
Procrastination’s cooler than empathy huh?
and I tried so hard not to be in this poem
my laziness tried so hard to turn me into
the dude in the back with his head down
pretending to check his phone during any sign
of vulnerable
any sign of real
25-
the year I met my angel
the year I found out burning bodies smell like
burning bodies
the year I found out I’ve spent my whole life
thinking and leading with my 2 heads instead of my heart
and she had the audacity to ask me if I have a soft heart?
in public?
…
am I a broken thing?
or are we all just trained to be ignorant of our angel wings?
we are all angels for each other without even knowing it
my angel has a strong name
my mama always told me Benjamin is a strong name
I just have trouble remembering it
3)
Dear Benjamin,
little boy
cocoa skin
dry mouth
holy shoes
Summer smile
gap tooth
loose too
heaven’s proud youth
little boy
unironed shirt
muddy shoes
****** knees
scraped cheeks
paycheck teacher
aint pleased
But
crayon creations
self portrait
proud artist
proves darkness
must believe
in itself
or else
who will?
baby boy
with my strong name
child who was born in fire
you’re an angel
and you ask me if
I believe in angels…
tell God even my neglected heart still recognizes
that oldest trick in the book
and when you’re done
serving this undeserving world
your golden miracles
earning those wings
you were born with
we’ll only remember the time
you brought us all together
to sing songs and cry tears
and not even realize
that your life
and death
are proof
that our fears can not survive here
they can’t survive…
in the sun
in the rain
through the fire
through the pain
Rest in Peace
Protect in Peace
An Angelic Hymn
(minus the fear):
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The -- made them all.
Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
-- made their glowing colors,
-- made their tiny wings.
Gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
That the -- didn’t do this
so we’d forget the God in ourselves.
2)
Like, is it cool to be “grown” and still have a soft heart?
Na, I’ll just be a chronic cracking dehydrated mirror
I’ll just beeeee
that guy who wastes his entire year...
Procrastination’s cooler than empathy huh?
and I tried so hard not to be in this poem
my laziness tried so hard to turn me into
the dude in the back with his head down
pretending to check his phone during any sign
of vulnerable
any sign of real
25-
the year I met my angel
the year I found out burning bodies smell like
burning bodies
the year I found out I’ve spent my whole life
thinking and leading with my 2 heads instead of my heart
and she had the audacity to ask me if I have a soft heart?
in public?
…
am I a broken thing?
or are we all just trained to be ignorant of our angel wings?
we are all angels for each other without even knowing it
my angel has a strong name
my mama always told me Benjamin is a strong name
I just have trouble remembering it
3)
Dear Benjamin,
little boy
cocoa skin
dry mouth
holy shoes
Summer smile
gap tooth
loose too
heaven’s proud youth
little boy
unironed shirt
muddy shoes
****** knees
scraped cheeks
paycheck teacher
aint pleased
But
crayon creations
self portrait
proud artist
proves darkness
must believe
in itself
or else
who will?
baby boy
with my strong name
child who was born in fire
you’re an angel
and you ask me if
I believe in angels…
tell God even my neglected heart still recognizes
that oldest trick in the book
and when you’re done
serving this undeserving world
your golden miracles
earning those wings
you were born with
we’ll only remember the time
you brought us all together
to sing songs and cry tears
and not even realize
that your life
and death
are proof
that our fears can not survive here
they can’t survive…
in the sun
in the rain
through the fire
through the pain
Rest in Peace
Protect in Peace
*Note:
According to the Baha’i’ faith, angels are people who "have consumed, with the fire of the love of God, all human traits and limitations", and have "clothed themselves" with angelic attributes and have become "endowed with the attributes of the spiritual".
They are "blessed beings who have severed all ties with this nether world" and "been released from the chains of self", and are "revealers of God's abounding grace".
*Peter Smith (2000) – A concise encyclopedia of the Baha’ifaith.
According to the Baha’i’ faith, angels are people who "have consumed, with the fire of the love of God, all human traits and limitations", and have "clothed themselves" with angelic attributes and have become "endowed with the attributes of the spiritual".
They are "blessed beings who have severed all ties with this nether world" and "been released from the chains of self", and are "revealers of God's abounding grace".
*Peter Smith (2000) – A concise encyclopedia of the Baha’ifaith.
