There is a serpent in the sky between the clouds, he distorts and morphs into the whirlpools of my mind.
He slithers in negative space and hisses at cloud shapes, he disappears into thunder and his tongue licks lightning strikes.
There is a serpent in the sky and his beady eyes are black holes, the scales on his body are lights in my galaxy and I trace constellations with his scars.
We dance together to a distant melody and he twirls me around the moons scattered on the dance floor. He wraps me up and hugs me tight until I can’t breathe anymore.

The clean church Christ
hangs on rusty nails,
dozen-fold years
denied a resurrection,
tied to everlasting
pain and death,
heaven denied,
mortal redemption denied
because the flesh,
existing between hope and despair,
refuses the soul’s release.

The congregation
is dead to peace,
only knowing the scrapping
of their knuckles on the smooth stone-
dead to the light,
seeing only the night,
dead to divine comprehension,
dead to the angels hiding
in their coarse crosses
of common wood.

Outside the lamb
bleats in the snow
wandering unheard
in the wilderness,
fearing slaughter
more than charity,
wandering far from
their muffled mouths,
wandering far from
their questioning,
wandering far from
their sense of things.

A student stayed online today
  to ask an earnest question:

               "Will this pandemic have a lasting
                 impact upon society, or will it, too,
                 be forgotten like the Spanish Flu?"

I hadn't thought of a reply just then;
instead, I stared through the screen
and spoke from my heart.

"I think everyone in school right now
will be fundamentally shaped
by this magnanimous event;
in prior generations, it was world wars
and Vietnam, for me it was 9/11,
but this year's tragedy will become
a fixture in your collective memory."

"My hope is that your generation
will rekindle society's compassion
and generosity,
that you will grow
from these months
of social isolation
to listen more closely,
engage in meaningful conversations
honor older generations,
your schools,
and the value
of a hard day's work."

                            "You mean to be a more kind,      
                             respectful, and responsible  
                             generation," he said smiling.

"Yes, and to show those
older and younger
what it means to be enriched
by hardship,
wise through self reflection,
humbled by uncertainties
and unknowns."

Forgiveness is letting go of the past,
And it doesn't mean we can forget the memory of the past,
Forgiveness is divine,
And it helps us to align.

But when we fall as a result of our iniquity,
It draws us back into captivity,
It inflicted us to severe pain and suffering,
And we'll experience agony for our shortcomings.

Pride has dominated our land,
Forgiveness should be part of our plan,
We should cut down every root of bitterness,
And let's work in love and togetherness.

Doesn’t mean your blessed
Because you done
Something good for yourself
God haven’t forgotten
What you have done
Like I said in the past
Like will give you a
Tasty of life.
Just right you want to be.
But that’s all