Carrying Memories

Nothing lasts forever

But it doesn't change the hurt

It doesn't erase the pain

When things do end

So we carry on

Carrying a memory

That keeps everything real

That keeps them with us

We tell the stories

That hold us together

We keep them alive in us

Through choking clouds

And foolish risks

Something always lives on

Clinging to that hope

We move forward

Carrying with us

The remembrances

That make us whole

Was, Is, Will Be

 

I was standing in the night

With shadows fallen over all

Questioning who I am

When I saw a flame

Brief it was

I strained to see a figure

Standing beneath a tree

Bringing a cigarette to his lips

But I could not see his face

I was about to turn

Seeking solitude not company

When a voice came

“Why do you question?”

I paused for a moment

Thinking he was speaking to himself

Again he spoke

“You know who you are

Why the questions?

Have you learned nothing?

I thought you were better than this

But then again

Maybe you don't really change”

Startled, I could not speak

His jacket reflecting the moon

He seemed so strange

Yet so familiar

“It must be your nature

No matter how I dislike it”

So arrogant

Thinking he knew me

Thinking he knew anything

My struggles

My pain

His youth showed

In his bold speech

I simply stared at this figure

A phantom in the night

After one long drag

Inhaling deeply the smoke

As he exhaled

He spoke

“The past never dies”

Confused I turned to leave

I spoke as I turned

“I am who I am right now”

But as I turned

I saw another in the dark

Leaning over

Staring at the stars

I could only see his shape

Light reflected from his cane

With a silver dragon

Shining in the darkness

I was so shocked

I stood silent

Then he spoke

With a voice of age 

Filled with the wisdom of years

“You're both so hasty

So head strong

What do you really know?”

This though

Came with a gentleness

That comes from experience

An old man

Reflecting to himself

On such a strange night

I couldn't help but wonder

Did I know this man?

So many years my senior?

Then came his voice again

“Someday you'll understand

But then again

Maybe you'll only realize

That you can never know”

Puzzled I was

Like a riddle

Spoken from the heart

That I knew all too well

He shifted slightly

And gave his parting words

“But who will I be?”

I turned to ponder this odd event

But when I looked

They were both gone

And as I pondered

I reflected on the familiar

The unknown

The thing I would never know

And the words came together

Past

Present

Future

Were such a constant blend

Yet so distinct

Sudden realization

I heard my own voice

Clearly this time

Speaking through it all

“The past never dies

I am who I am right now

But who will I be?”

Thunder of My Soul

The lightning crosses the sky

And my mind is electric

Going faster and faster

Diving backwards and forwards

Thinking of so many things

Then there was a face

Maybe from the past

Maybe from the future

But it was so familiar

Lighting goes out again

Streaking across the purple sky

Shining a light on the beauty

Bringing a smile to my face

Because it didn't matter

If it was memory to be

Or memory of what was

Because the memory was mine

To cherish in the dark of night

Even if it must stay tucked away

In a corner of my heart

Drawn out by the bristling air

Because even when it fades

To just a pinpoint in the heavens

I know the light is still there

Will always be a part of me

Something that I can feel

Through the waves of time

Like a firefly in the heavens

In the thunder of my soul

Holding the Rain

Rain falls gently in the night

Cold droplets on my skin

Washing me clean of the world

Worry and fear rolling down

Dripping from me

Into puddles of memory

That pools at my feet

My face turned to the sky

Welcoming the cleansing sky

Clearing my mind of doubt

It cascades down my back

And then it is gone

Bathed in the open air

Feeling both old

And at the same instant

Brand new in every way

The breath drawing in

The smell of the storm

Lingers in the atmosphere

And in this moment

I am suddenly so free

And suddenly so small

Yet I am everywhere

The drizzle falling across my hands

And I give myself to it freely

As it gives itself freely to me

We meet in an impossible embrace

I hold the storm

And the storm holds me

Two Explorers

Two explorers rest for the night

In tents below an endless sky

These two best friends slumber

Dreaming of adventures

In far away lands

Forging a future for themselves

Crossing mountains and valleys

Rescuing friends and finding treasure

Knowing the other will be there

To help them along the way

Just two best friends

Getting the sleep they need

For the excitement tomorrow brings

Spirit of the Storm

There was a flash of light

A resounding boom

And all was darkness

As echoes filled the air

I could see nothing at all

Ears filled with the relentless storm

When I saw your face

There in the darkness

I could hear your voice

In the falling of the rain

Like a sweet song

In a world where nothing remained

So I let it wash over me

Holding me in the still of the night

I let it embrace me

Though the rain was cold

The touch was warmth to my soul

No darkness could overtake

The light of your presence

Consuming me utterly

In that moment

Nothing else existed

Nothing else mattered

That phantom in the night

That alighted my soul

Overtaking every sensation

Was everything to me

And when the light of dawn broke free

And I awoke to sun and sky

The memory lingers still

Cherished in my heart

Forever and always there

The spirit of the storm

Jesus Killed in the Street

I am thirsty

This was the cry that went out

As he died

The forces of oppression

Bearing down

For no other reason

Than that they could

And a man was dead

Murdered in broad daylight

Because they could

A life was taken

For the sake of order

Peace was not found

In killing this man

There was no justice

Simply malice

In the hands of the powerful

And I'm left to ponder

In the still of the night

The case of a man on a cross

And a man crushed in the street

And I weep

In retrospect and remembrance of George Floyd.