"baptizing" poems
Across the ocean, you meant nothing to me.
You were a destination, a photograph, a wish.
You plagued my winter woes with your heatwaves,
jumping into creeks in your underwear while I wrapped myself in another blanket, cold Canadian ice princess.
You slept under stars in close contact with beautiful nature, beautiful life, beautiful people, while I stared at them, upside down, from my window.
And then the big dipper dumped you into my lap, head on my chest so you could feel my heart beat and I could tangle my fingers in your hair.
Photographs aren't supposed to come to life.
Beautiful smiles and messy blonde hair are for fantasies and dreaming and rainy days, and not for my bed or my guitar or my lips
But there you were.
For two weeks I thought and rethought and plagued my heart with goodbye is coming. He will fly away from me. We are not birds meant to be caged
We are wanderers, nomads, free-spirits who need no tying down or tying knots,
And I want to tie myself to your bed post with barbed wire because it hurts that much to leave you anyway.
But you leave me.
And there you weren't.
There you weren't as I made up my mind that it's okay to love a nomad, as long as you're one too.
And it's okay to love a bird of flight, just build yourself some wings and follow
But I was mistaken, I was wrong and I was three steps behind you.
Because when you said "I'll see you later" you didn't mean later
You meant get out.
And I still don't know if you're scared or if you just don't want me,
You don't ******* want me.
High as the plane that brought you here to leave me, I stand lace clad, smoke screened and alone.
High enough to feel my lungs contracting with each breath that made my tongue taste less and less like yours,
High enough to feel my knees click where you held them once,
One time,
Because that was all it took.
I couldn't get high enough to stop retracing the lines that your fingers made up and down my sides as you felt the curve of my body for the first time.
My limbs were barren, cold, antarctic as you left them when you took your warm, summer hand away.
So I turned the shower up all the way, until it burned enough to feel like I was boiling my skin, baptizing your sinful touch off of my innocent body.
I burned my arms and legs until they cracked.
They cracked from dryness, even after I wet them with my tears,
And my first,
fourth,
tenth glass of wine.
And I threw the bottle against my bedroom door.
Watched it smash,
Wished it was me.
I'll clean it up later.
Jan 26, 2015
Jan 26, 2015 at 11:52 PM UTC
Every now and then,
Someone lights up your world
Like breaking weather,
Scattering the clouds
And baptizing your soul
In a deluge of colors.
Every now and then,
Someone captures emotions
Like bluebottle flies
In a jar, only to release,
Too delighted ever
To pin them with names.
Every now and then,
Someone dares you to dance
With words or muscle memory,
And laughs with you
When flailing efforts prove
That you almost can.
Every now and then,
Someone glows like traffic lights
And points you to new roads
They've traveled on before:
Ways that part and meet again,
Every now and then.
Jun 20, 2019
Jun 20, 2019 at 10:05 PM UTC
I dreamt of nights where only solace exists.
Filling lungs upon inhale-
Only hints of mahogany incense.
The nights where, darkness crept low enough for me to kiss the cheeks of crescent moons,
Trace galaxies with my index;
feel smiles from
Oshun.
She watches me-
Watch waves clash relentlessly
Against mountains of limitless heights.
I flew within autumns wind;
Quenched my thirst with natures nectar.
Danced to heavens harps and
Defined passion through the soul of Venus.
Only amplifying loves intensity
Now, earth shattering.
Submerging myself within her waterfalls of purity
Baptizing my mental to be freed from insecurities -
I emerged, no longer mortal.
Owls eyes replaced mine therefore
Dawn no longer intrigued me.
Embracing the silence of this night
I've found tranquility in a dream.
Found life within the depths
Of days transition.
-Danielle.a.watson
Jul 2, 2013
Jul 2, 2013 at 12:43 PM UTC
Prayer For Called and Gifted
Jesus you are the savior of the world author of salvation and creator of the universe and all good things. We are so small and frail and yet in your goodness you saw it fit to give us so much and to raise us up to more than we can be. You bestowed on your people different, beautiful gifts and call us to use them for others and for you. You have called us each by name and given us unique gifts, each with an integral part to play. You have given us a purpose and a reason. You have given us a passion for life. We are called to be beacons of hope, bearers of light. As wheat only produces fruit once it dies, may we also die to the things that hold us back from experiencing the fullness of your love for us. Help us Lord to be good stewards of the gifts you give so abundantly and so freely that we would be diligent, responsible, and humble as we try to live your love out in the world. You said to your apostles: "Go forth and make disciples of all nations; proclaiming the gospel by your lives and baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit". Lord, bless the people in this room; send your Holy Spirit and let it come to rest in our souls. Guide and lead and teach us along the journey of life to use our gifts that you gave us "for the greater glory of God". Just as we pray for ourselves Lord, we also pray for all those in the church and throughout the world that you would help them realize and utilize what they have been given to make this world a little better and to further your kingdom right here and now. May we all be a "blessing for life and a blessing for Christ"! We ask this and all things in your most beautiful and precious name. AMEN.
Dec 5, 2015
Dec 5, 2015 at 3:56 PM UTC
(09/19/11)
I was always taught that JESUS CHRIST was a Jew.
Then there is a question that I must ask of you.
If he was a Jew- did he have a bar-mitzvah?
Or was he just put on this earth
So Christianity could give birth?
At the age of twelve he sat down
with rabbi’s and teachers
For this was the way that he would reach us.
His cousin JOHN THE BAPTIST
Was baptizing people with water.
Was this the first step of GODS orders?
Questions such as these will always arise
But I know he’s always by my side.
Christianity was born on blind faith
Most get it early - while others get it late.
This blind faith is passed down from
Generation to generation
This has become our salvation.
Unlike scientist who only believe in what
Can be seen and what can be proven, they ask
How can blind faith keep one moving.
Now JESUS is but one man
Yet his face is in every land.
There is not one person in any religion
Known more than CHRIST.
It makes you think - not once but twice.
This is how fast Christianity has spread
That he is known world wide
And on blind faith we do rely.
As for GOD there is only one
And he gave us his only son.
Sep 20, 2011
Sep 20, 2011 at 9:33 PM UTC
Fantasies with Death
bottle evaporating my tongue
passion for Death
smoke baptizing my soul
************ to Death
a hose hooked to my tailpipe
making love with Death
vision blurred, groggy
round the bend
*does Death make love
or is it ****
Jan 15, 2013
Jan 15, 2013 at 11:48 PM UTC
Shooting stars fell in a line and danced across my eyes in quick succession
though the sun outshone them all
and who ever worshiped the stars anyway?
Then like fireflies flew north before broke,
and from the south I saw the great Diamond City
reach out above a jungle of metal concrete plastic plastic with lights
Oh! lights
Pinprick window TV stream style smiles selling streets projecting the moon for
advertising space; the population rises
Factory stormclouds only irritate umbrella stand footsteps who pretend
to hate the rain
and outshines dim sunlight baptizing all in electric glory
Candleflame prisons of light that honk through haze through
rainy Monday 6:30AM’s
choke on each others breath until we have nothing left but CO2;
dandelions inherit the earth.
Jul 22, 2014
Jul 22, 2014 at 11:51 PM UTC
Can you smell the scent of passion?
Mine - my pheromones sprinkling tonight
Baptizing you with my ardour and lust.
Let my voice guide you sweetly to your end
Whisper to you the delicious promises
Whiteness and warmth comfort me for tomorrow.
Can you feel the slightest touch?
My feather-like kisses blow your mind
Engulfing you in satins, laces and ribbons!
Oct 26, 2015
Oct 26, 2015 at 8:11 PM UTC
i lie on
the beach
the sand
my bed of desires
against the beating sun
the gentle current
sprays diamonds
upon my *****
dead body
baptizing me in
the land i had once came
i have no destination,
native of no land,
human of no name-
the earth's
eternal lover
swept into
the aqua blue
turbulent waves-
two lovers
dancing in moonlight
the world watches on
piercing eyes
gaze on
as i fall gracefully
to the depths
of my inevitable demise
(b.d.s.)
May 2, 2017
May 2, 2017 at 11:23 AM UTC
an intrepid image of consistency to living painlessly
floats aimlessly through an adjacent sea of complacency
that finds way to drift further from shore.
worries of capsizing and baptizing
in this ocean of social chastising
leaves me coming back for more.
descending the sail paints
images of pale
skys clouding progression,
shadowing the sun’s oppression
to shining through the cracks,
dreams reflect the water
of sailing to shore and
never coming back,
the table in cabin
covered with cigarettes butts
and empty bottles,
leaving stains of black
on the whispering floorboards
that sways with the current
that restores more
contentedness to being
lost at sea.
but, I wake up to reality
sea sick
MJB
Jul 21, 2015
Jul 21, 2015 at 7:47 PM UTC
Baptizing her head
in a basin of ash
the stark white of her
angel hair
now smokes with cinder black
Her eyes
green once,
now lighten in dramatic contrast
piercing white, ice blue
that leave your heart to tremble when she laughs.
Angular and insecure
her body a mere wasteland
of what it was before
For when He banishes an angel
she will walk the streets
as a *****
Jan 25, 2014
Jan 25, 2014 at 9:47 PM UTC
*I have seen the stars dance in the shadows.
I saw the world outside my window.
Screaming faces-
Telling time with countless voices.
Ticking clocks-
Counting the skipping of the rocks.
Brushing slacks.
Footsteps jumping the cracks.
Distance watching the sunset-
Remembering the first time they met.
The painter looking out to life;
Ready to embrace it as his wife.
Raindrops stuck in memory-
Of the children's agony.
White skies-
Baptizing the sinner's tie.
History holding creation's stories-
Telling future glories.
Courage finding the opportunity-
To fight insecurity
With His purity.
Sunday shoes-
Taping to the rhythm of Blues.
Heaven singing from above-
Waiting for its truelove.
How do we see life in our minds?
How do we wait for the counting of clocks?
How do we measure the depth of our walk?
How do we climb the mountain of time?*
Feb 9, 2016
Feb 9, 2016 at 6:46 PM UTC
I'd rather be a hobo
OVERDOSED ON A HAND FULL OF NODOSE, NOW I'M HOPING TRAINS WITH HOBOS. BEEN LIVING IN THE SAME CLOTHES. HAVEN'T HAD A SECOND TO SHUT MT EYES, IT'S STARTING TO FEEL LIKE I'M LIVEN 75,000,000,000 LIVES. SEEN GOOD MAN HANGING BY THE BOTTOM AS EVIL MAN ON TOP PLOT TO SLAUGHTER THEM. THE POOR ARE THE ONLY ONES BRINGING IN OFFERINGS ALL WHILE THE CHURCH CHOIR SINGS SONGS OF REDEMPTION. BAPTIZING THE LIES OF EVIL PEOPLE, WHY THE RICH MOST BE BELIEVERS. A HOLEY WAR FOUGHT BEHIND DOORS OF OIL RESERVES, BURNING HOLES IN THE O-ZONE, BURNING GOOD PEOPLE IN THEIR HOMES. THE POPULATION, A MASS PRODUCTION OF SLAVES AND CLONES, JUST TO SAY IT'S GODS WAY, PRINT IT ON THE MONEY, AND GIVE HIM HIS CUT EVERY SUNDAY. LOOKS TO ME LIKE WE'RE LIVEN IN THE LAND OF WHO EVER HAS THE UPPER HAND AND HE GETS TO CALL HIMSELF UNCLE SAM. COULD IT BE THAT FRIENDLY FIRE WAS THE INTENT, COULD IT BE THAT WE BELIEVED LIES THAT ARE PAYED WITH OUR LIVES. COULD IT BE WHILE RUNNING WITH OUR HEADS IN BETWEEN OUR KNEES THE RAT RACE CAME AND REARRANGE OUR DREAMS. SO WITH WOOL OVER OUR EYEs EVIL CAN CHANGE INTO IT'S GOOD DISGUISE.
Dec 9, 2012
Dec 9, 2012 at 3:44 PM UTC
April is a liar,
baptizing you with tears, tears.
April tells you pretty nothings
as it pours down on your already drenched and pale face.
"Patience dear, better things will come."
When will its tide retreat?
When will you be able to loosen your grip
on the window ledge above its raging ocean?
"Patience dear, better things will come."
Aprils tidal wave swirls around you
and locks your bones into place.
When will its sea part?
"Patience dear, better things will come."
...but April darling,
I've already drowned.
Jun 18, 2012
Jun 18, 2012 at 7:42 PM UTC
Harshly they fuss, brutally ascend
The living are merely the dead sleeping
With tired minds and dimming spirits
Whimsically panting as they pass an unmitigated declaration of disarrayed yet binding love
The living sing
They sing of old men and babies being born
The children cheering
Sermons of legitimate advice and reassuring reminders
Integrations of baptizing and rebirth
Of anointment and atonement
Conjugal wellness
Tales of glory
-Tommy Johnson
Dec 19, 2013
Dec 19, 2013 at 1:07 PM UTC
(after Edward Hopper’s Cape Cod Evening)
The light is everything;
it saturates the locust grove,
inundating
uncut grass,
negating
shadows,
conjoining husband
and wife in oblivion.
Melancholy blinks
in the black eye
of a whippoorwill.
Who catches the notes
of its song?
Only the dog.
Dusk, patient
as a chrysalis.
They can’t hear
the transmutation
yet, but they will.
Oct 19, 2018
Oct 19, 2018 at 1:17 PM UTC
1- Alex S
You were a rough hit to the stomach
a cold and ***** baptizing
I ****** you twice and never again
because of you I stopped eating
I haven’t seen you since I was 14
and that’s okay with both of us
2- Alex F
Your name still gives me chills
you remind me of a fox in winter
I really did love you like the waves love the ocean shore
I really would have drowned myself for you
im sorry I took your virginity
3- JJ S
It was a drunken hookup on a ***** couch
in a smoke filled basement that I had to sneak out of later
and you were 27 and should have known better
and it was really just too awful to talk about
4- Garrett F
In a Chinese restaurant parking lot at 9 pm
we used your backseat like it had
rose petals and candles
and you were my best friend
and it’s still one of my biggest regrets
and we stopped speaking after that
5- Michael H
Really I just wanted the free ****
and a place to spend the night
so, did you enjoy the taste of my tall black soul
that tends to smell of tar
and the dredges of a coffee ***
6- Julian R
I don’t know the first thing about you
besides the fact you are from New York
and 25
and play basketball for a college
and you pushed me down on the bed
and swallowed me whole
7- Sean E
It was Halloween
and we were drunk
and we undressed in the back of someone’s jeep
and laid under the stars at 4 am on a blanket in a backyard
the first time you were ever inside me
8- Johnny B
24 and never someone I’d normally ****
but I stayed at your house for 2 weeks
and we became connected on every piece of furniture
and I still never got enough of you
and god I miss you
9- Aaron E
You are the end of it all
and with you I am butter melting
I am grinding my teeth down in lust
I’ve never seen anyone look so perfect naked
and I’m wishing you were the only one in this list
Mar 8, 2014
Mar 8, 2014 at 1:35 PM UTC
we are lines that run parallel to the sea and never drown.
you are beautiful and i study every inch of your
body, hidden under layers of threads woven perpendicular,
crossing over your heart and back again, over and under and i’m
very nearly jealous, if not for the way you let me
into your body
and folded into your arms, skin to skin
miles of skin for me to mark and kiss and worship and baptize
with these earnest eyes welling up because this isn’t what i
wanted, this isn’t
right
because you’re supposed to get up now, and tell me to stop being a girl,
and pick up that shotgun hefted like an extension of yourself
and spray the world with salt and holy water because nothing is holy anymore;
not on its own
not without us,
and we are the sacrilegious baptizing saints, flinching away from rosaries and
counting sidewalk cracks.
but here you are on the horizon and you’re too still like this so i
shake you awake and i give you my sweatshirt because i can’t give you my
heart to replace yours, weary in your chest
and beating so slowly
.
i might as well be dead.
Aug 17, 2012
Aug 17, 2012 at 2:02 PM UTC
May your heart see my words
On this night of wind and rage.
I know that you are in search of refuge
from pressures seen and unseen.
I will comfort you from the ebb and flow
of the night tide and this, too, will pass.
Take your rightful place in my arms.
My body is a shelter from the storm.
Don’t speak. Just breathe. Cry, if you must.
Let our silence shield us from the storm.
And when you awake that storm will be
nothing more than an aimless zephyr.
My heart wants you to stay with me,
but you are the daughter of the storm.
You find rest and peace in my arms,
but the wind and rage speak to you.
The sky cracks and the rain falls,
baptizing you in dark water.
I know the night tide will take you.
And I will stay here with open arms.
Nov 26, 2017
Nov 26, 2017 at 1:25 AM UTC
The water here tastes funny.
The food does too,
but mostly just the water bothers me.
It tastes unnatural and fake,
like it's been inside too long.
I never really feel clean after a shower here.
And the water never really warms up.
It trickles our of the spout,
like a waterfall during a drought,
falling obligatorily,
but not enthusiastically.
I miss the rain,
the warm showers of spring,
crashing thunderstorms of summer,
chilly drizzle of fall,
even the icy sleet of winter.
I miss God's tears,
falling from the heavens
and baptizing me
again and again.
In the rain,
I could really feel clean
free
forgiven.
But not here.
The showers here barely work,
the water never gets warm,
and it tastes funny anyway.
Nov 2, 2011
Nov 2, 2011 at 9:08 PM UTC
I want to share but I fear
The things I offer
Will be useless, unwanted by others.
Through painful experience
I've come to this conclusion.
I'd give it all away
If only someone wanted it.
Mine, all mine, mine alone
But none of it worth keeping
If I can't enjoy it with you.
Pick me clean before I leave
Behind these aspects.
Take what you want, take what you need
But take it, take it all from me
Before the rushing wind blows it all away.
Before the rushing wind
Kindles baptizing fire
To burn all I ever was to ashes
For to fill the gold or silver urn,
Precious to friends blessed by generosity.
A blessing I was more than willing to bestow
With love, thankfulness and appreciation.
All I had to share were seeds of memories.
I can only pray
The harvest will be bountiful.
Oct 24, 2013
Oct 24, 2013 at 10:18 AM UTC
I am mutabaruka
A black child from Jamaica look at me,you'll understand
I am mutabaruka
I'm high up to bright
I'm the darkness in your night
you see the way I dance,is just the Black in me.
The things I think and feel are the things they try to steal but look into the sun and you will see no one destroys the Black in me.
I am matabaruka
a black child from Jamaica
look at me,you'll understand
I am time and space I can never be erased. You See how I live,is just the Black in me.
When you look at me and think, do I remember you of blood or ink?
well,anyone you perceive me to be I'm indelible and it's the Black in me.
I am mutabaruka
a black child from Jamaica.
look at me,you'll understand
I am mutabaruka
I am the dream you dream
I am the reason you scheme,
the compassion that you see
is because of the Black in me.
I shall be gone after the trumpet sounds.
Don't ask me why,i'm Only baptizing
so be on my side like Noah and feel my Black Power.
Mar 13, 2018
Mar 13, 2018 at 2:22 PM UTC