This wretched woman's time had come
To reconcile her sins and pains  
Her own blood had become her cage
As spirit dripped from her sweet frame

She yearned to reach out and adore
To exorcize her scarlet foe
And find a rare and blessed relief
That only this man could bestow

Her breath in gasps, her heart aflame
She gently negotiates the crowd
Until she spies salvation's form
His garment whiter than the clouds  

With secret prayer she extends her hand
And gently grasps his flowing gown
Desperate that he does not
Notice her and turn around

For this moment she has lived
Enduring lonesome misery
Till hope appeared in prophet form
And a promise that could set her free

But as she knelt with hand gripped tight
The garment's owner sensed her touch
And turned to gaze upon her plight
And stooped and smiled and raised her up

His face ablaze with love and joy
Her spirit soared and her heart did swell
As he praised her courage and her faith
And told her they had made her well

The Christ had conquered blood and pain
And other times the sightless eyes
Had calmed the storm and eased the rain
And even death his will despised

He taught patience and mercy true
To trust in God to set things right
And forgive those who learn to hate
And cease from anger and it's fight

He made no riches, nor praises sought
But humbled he at others feet  
Rejected men's sad power games
And thus selfishness did defeat

Today this world acclaims his name
And sings his praises publicly
Two billion followers know his words
And call us “Christianity”  

Yet, if this world's “Christian” lands
Are grasping Jesus' garment tight
Then why is peace so far away
And nations ready or the fight?

For not prince of politics is Jesus Lord
or king of fury thus unleashed
But for grace and God's own glory
Is he the blessed “Prince of Peace”

When I Was Small, I Grew
by Michael R. Burch

When I was small,
God held me in thrall:
Yes, He was my All
but my spirit was crushed.

As I grew older
my passions grew bolder
even as Christ grew colder.
My distraught mother blushed:

what was I thinking,
with feral lust stinking?
If I saw a girl winking
my face, heated, flushed.

“Go see the pastor!”
Mom screamed. A disaster.
I whacked away faster,
hellbound, yet nonplused.

Whips! Chains! *******!
Sweet, sweet, my Elation!
With each new sensation,
blue blood groinward rushed.

Did God disapprove?
Was Christ not behooved?
At least I was moved
by my hellish lust.

Keywords/Tags: God, religion, Christ, Christianity, lust, passion, desire, hell, damnation, puberty

Come!
by Michael R. Burch

Will you come to visit my grave, I wonder,
in the season of lightning, the season of thunder,
when I have lain so long in the indifferent earth
that I have no girth?

When my womb has conformed to the chastity
your anemic Messiah envisioned for me,
will you finally be pleased that my *** was thus rendered
unpalatable, disengendered?

And when those strange loathsome organs that troubled you so
have been eaten by worms, will the heavens still glow
with the approval of God that I ended a maid―
thanks to a *****?

And will you come to visit my grave, I wonder,
in the season of lightning, the season of thunder?

Keywords/Tags: sonnet, god, religion, Christianity, puritanism, chastity, ******, virginity, nun, ***, lust, desire, death, grave, passion, lightning, thunder, earth, womb, tomb, worms, organs, maid, maidenhead, *****

Beneath the shadow
of the Great Shepherd's staff,
in the green lushness of Life's plateau,
my spirit continues to laugh.

Despite the dumbness of this sheep
to His voice I've heeded.
For God's Love is greater than deep
and to His Principles, I've conceded.

My life is filled with abundance
beyond mortal imagination.
Enjoying protection from circumstance
came from obeying rules of His Holy Nation.

From displaying a submissive behavior
towards a God most divine,
I'm covered with blessings from my Savior
and reside in green meadows until Eternity's time.

When you’re outside
of Christ, you risk
becoming a son… of
disobedience; pride

puffs itself up and
empty words deceive.
Without Salvation,
no one raises hands

in humility towards
a loving God; there
is no shelter, from
His wrath. Records

in Heaven above are
meticulously kept;
an impenitent heart
will keep you far…

away from eternity.

Too often, we overlook
the awesome miracle of
Life, that we’re given
to enjoy; from His Book

of assurances, we learn
how we’re able to enter
into the sacred space…
of God. When we return

to Him in prayer, we’ll
understand His plans to
prosper us; we’ll also
have an ongoing thrill

of being in His Presence!

It’s disheartening to see
Churches that churn out a
bunch of souls… who don’t
love people. Many of them
don’t get along with other
congregants; the harmony

of Faith, is difficult to
find at times, when most
Churches tend to be more
concerned about money; if
souls are not having needs
met, then breakthroughs…

are probably not expected.
If so-called Christians are
not living victoriously, is
it realistic, that they’ll
gently nudge others… in His
direction, being unaffected

by The Word of God?