-1-
how often come the slowed beatings
of time

unleashed by knowing
these devilish ifs
whens and buts

of roads half-built
and half-burnt

yet water still flows beneath
these eggshells of circumstance
widening to the same sea of chance

-2-
when have
the dust of men
received ear
if not by word or doing

when have stars lost light
even as the multitude of years pass
the dead shine just as bright

-3-
grateful hearts receive no ill
as unjust souls receive no heart

the head and the tail
do not mourn the body
for how fat or lean it was

how sweetly the fruit tastes
and sorely it rots

Oh Lord, faithful unto Your people in all ages and worlds
Faithful even unto those that forget Your faithfulness and discard You
And once more, here I am remembering not Your faithfulness
Your body has been desecrated and all but defeated and destroyed
For Your people use words as weapons for ****** and spite for means of destruction

Oh Lord, Your body has torn itself to shreds, and someone is going to die
That someone is going to be the Body of Christ
Disagreements and differences need not to lead to hatred and malice
We have been saved and united unto You by Your great love
Can we not be united to one another as to You through Your love?

When children become involved in immature entanglements, adults laugh and ignore
But when grown adults fight in the streets, the fight must be stopped
And now Your body is pulling punches and weapons
There is bitter hatred over language and style, awful things to cause blood
Oh Lord, might this soon come to an end?

Oh Lord why do You allow for Your people to tear one another down?
Day by day, year by year, generation by generation, Your Body falls deeper into dismay
Your people, oh Lord, war against one another over small issues and differences
How long must we persevere through bitter hate and rejection from brothers and sisters?
Oh Lord might we have unity and love as you have always called for us to come to?

Oh Lord, our knees are bruised from years of kneeling
Our minds are wounded from generations of dealing
Our necks are sore from all our lives spent looking heavenward
Our eyes are reddened and swollen from lives spent crying for our beaten and murdered brothers
And our souls are decomposing from being cast out by the powerful in Your Body

Oh Lord, heal our bruises, mend our wounds, take away our sores
Lord, take away our tears, and resurrect our souls into Your great love
Lord, defeat our adversaries and bring us all back into unity with each other and You
Bring us back into Your love and remember us who have been cast out and forgotten
Oh Lord, deliver us from our adversaries, our very brothers in Christ

But for those who show love to our brothers, and have unity in Your love
For those who call all sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ ‘brothers and sisters’
As for us, we bring forth unity in a fractured and all but defeated body
We call upon those who bring forth dissonance, and plead that they show Christian love
And though many do not listen, still we call in Your name

Still we commune in the Sacrament of Your Body and Blood with them
Still we refer as brothers and sisters, our very body
Even through pain, and hate, and torment, through tears, and blood, still we love on
Still we worship beside them, pray with them, and partake in the ministry of the Word with them
Still we participate in and out of liturgy in the work of the Church, for they are our brothers

So we cup our hands as if waiting for bread, we set our gaze toward the heavens
We pray for Your blessings to fall into our open palms daily
And here come I, on my knees begging that You deliver us from this hell
That You might intervene and put this broken body back together
That You might breathe new life into this seeming dying body

Your Son was murdered, broken, and crucified for our transgressions
His broken body lay in the ground for three days before He rose again into new life
So too might this body, the Body of Jesus Christ, resurrect into new life
And we read that Lazarus’ came back into life after passing unto death
So this body, which has yet not passed unto death, might be mended and healed

You, who have come to make all things new
Who have come to make all sad things come untrue
You can mend these wounds that seem unhealable
And we know that You will, for You are faithful unto Your children
Faith, which we so often lack, we will not lose

You have mercy upon us, forgiving us all our sins, through Your Son
You strengthen us in all goodness by the power of Your Holy Spirit keeping us in eternal life
So we lift our hearts to You, giving You thanks and praise always and everywhere
We sing songs to You and give our whole hearts to You
From the first breath we breathe in new life, to the last breath on earth, be our praise with You

This is the prayer from the oppressed in Your body
The prayer for those who have dwelt beneath the foot of the body
Have mercy upon us, have mercy upon our enemies
Give us Your grace, and bring the body back into unity, oh Lord
And more of all, grant us Your peace

Oh Lord, You accept the fervent prayers of your people
With Your many mercies, look with compassion upon us
Hear our prayers, oh Lord to whom we turn for great help
You are most gracious, you lover of souls
Hear, accept, and intervene on our behalf by Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Be my siren.
Give me another chance.
Kiss me now,
My emotions will enhance.

I feel broken
Without your presence.
My heart is weighing more.
I need you, not silence.

You equals me.
Me equals you.
My soul pauses
Just to think of you.

This life is wasted,
Just like the others too.
Come, be my siren.
I will always, always be with you.

I have to push you away so I can feel the pain.
I don't wanna do this, it drives me insane.
There are some things I just can't explain.
I don't know why I have to live in vain.

I know the pain will not last forever.
Healing takes time, my heart was severed.
It's been many moons, the feelings have weathered.
To stay away from you would make me feel better.

Being with you has made me learn about life.
Don't give too much, they'll take it for granted.
At the end of this tunnel I know there's a light.
The light that leads my life is shining so bright.

I do not regret anything that happened.
Everything that happened is God's master plan.
Maybe he seen that you weren't for me.
But I will always love you, I need to be free.

Carrying the weight has made me much stronger.
Making me feel like my heart is brand new.
Ready for new love, fresh from the start.
But don't go too fast, don't rush the heart.

It tears me up for us to be apart.
But I'm a better man, to play a new part.
I learned about love, and how to let it show.
Be the best you can be, and just let her know.

Don't show it too much, they'll push you away.
That's what happened to me on a rainy February day.
But always reassure them that they're admired.
The fire burns steady, and will never grow tired.

But I will be the best that I can be.
Like me with her, when things were young and free.
And love someone who won't throw it away, just as she did.
And live a happy life, the way that it used to be.

did you know your hair was golden in the sun?
you were the boy king, gentle as the summer air
you found me frail and useless, when i was nothing
yet you, in all your glory, made me something.

your name echoed through all the kingdoms of Greece,
you threatened yet were admired by the greatest of warriors
you roused lustful dreams in the most tender and innocent of nymphs
you were the mighty sentinel of the common stranger
yet you were mine to hold in the dark of night.

i still think about the way your leg dangled as your lyre lulled on,
your languid trails of kisses and starlit whispers
still haunt me the same way your unavoidable fate
crept upon you through your noble triumphs.

i have listened to your speeches like homilies of the faithful
i have memorized the creases on your face of fierceness
i have kissed your war wounds and cried for your pain
and i have read the greatest of legends in the lines of your body.

i could have sworn your battle cries
were as melodious as your lyre songs
and so beautiful they were
that i still hear you sing in the tides of the Aegean seas

you were destined for fame and wondrous glory
to be a story to be told for all time
to have people cheer your name and fall on their knees for you
loss was a feeling foreign to you,
yet the only thing you lost yourself to, in your pride, was love

who knew love could be such a terror?

golden haired triumphant prince
running swift and beautiful with the ocean breeze
nobody could ever catch up:
i had always thought you and i would live forever.

Who can compare with your majesty, oh Lord?
Who can match your might and power?
For with your breath you gave life to the earth,
and as you spoke, the world came into being.

Truly, God, you are powerful beyond measure.
Your strength is beyond the comprehension of man.
Only you can say what is right and wrong;
from your mouth come the decrees of justice.

Hear my plea, oh God.
I have fallen in the darkness,
and I can not raise myself up.
The heights of Your glory are beyond my reach.

I am beset on all sides by trouble.
Doubt and fear are my constant companions.
My eyes are blinded,
and I cannot see your path.

You, Lord, who sees all,
know of my faith.
I have never renounced your name,
but always have I kept it in reverence.

Look upon me in my hour of need,
and see that I have done no wrong.
Through no fault of my own
I have lost my way.

Surely, oh God, you will deliver me.
For do you not guide the righteous along your paths
even as you condemn the wicked to damnation?
Surely, oh God, you will pull me from the depths.

Reach out your hand
and rescue me, Lord.
Restore unto me surety and boldness once again,
that I might walk in your light forever.

Nothing is impossible for you, God.
You are all powerful, all knowing,
with love that never ends.
I place my trust in you.

Your mercy and grace are boundless.
Though I often fail to keep your laws,
still you do not abandon me.
Your forgiveness is unfathomable.