The desire to regenerate. To cast off our old self: Old mistakes. Old failures. Old scars. There seems to be a new, better self waiting to be born, if only we could shed this old skin. This work ends in disappointment, not because the rebirth cannot be done, but because it cannot be done separate from the love and grace of GOD.
Snake Skin
Crawling round these rocks
day after day
scratching and writhing
cloudy eyed
and limbless
pull away this worn, grey, faded skin
bring forth and behold
the fresh, bright body within.
Trudging through these rocks
called days
scratching and writhing
glassy eyed
clutching limbs
as if to tear away this mortal skin
an expiring hiss of disappointment
at the same dull being within.
If you have ever experienced un- directed restless energy, you know what this is about.
Savage Self
You prowl through life
like a caged animal
distressed
disturbed and
restless within.
Behind bars of iron
pacing and snarling
ears back
claws raking
angry within.
Lash out
with power
and rage
as though
to pierce the mere thin human skin
of your captor
would somehow succor
or
deliver peace within.
Yet whose wound are you licking
whose blood is dripping?
For who has put you in this cage
and to whose passions are you enslaved?
The purpose is this: if I lived through it, so can you. Much of my emotional turmoil found it’s outlet in the written word. Hang on. Push on. You are not alone. You, yes you, are beloved. The angst is gone. The alienation is a fact of life in a world system which is hostile to truth.
Empty Day
Tired
and not getting
any less so.
Today I sat
for hours
and drew
blanks.
I can conceive
of no relief.
I grow restless
and seek sleep.
Escape into nightmares
where the face of
evil
forces action
and the threat of
death
offers some evidence
of
life.
Untitled
Isolate me from emotion.
Isolate me from caring
what happens next.
This animal desire to live
this unnatural desire to die.
Isolate me from wondering
why.
Leave me just this energy
and the disposition to act.
Experiencing and exploring life, truth, and beauty.