our love was not made for movie screens.

our love was made for slow-burn tv dramas;
for the two schoolkids in the street's high school
barely grazing adolescence
who - fumbling - find a graceful love amidst
the corner shop and cobbled streets
and throw it all away for a second chance at a life
torn apart by carefully orchestrated constructs
of one lover's written word.

our love was not cultured by typicality.

our love was created through inside jokes;
nights of fireflies rocketing around in my chest - of you
warming me up from within
through all manner of crooked smiles and worries and
hands in my hair and
fingers linked with mine, lying on top
of my scrawled poetry i'll never admit is written
to you.

our love was made through careful planning;
through the nurturing of a friendship that turned into something more;
through a whispered confession followed by a laugh
followed by a written word saying just the same -
yes.

our love is yours.
please do not give it away.

i want to rest where your pupil meets the iris
i want to sleep in the corners of your smile
curling up for a long while
let the scars on your skin be the story i read
every imperfection a footprint in your journey
i want to see heaven beam through your teeth
i'll hear the sunlight in your voice when you sing
sweet nectar coating your timbre

with you around me
i'm content just existing

Tonight I wait with joyful expectation
And join my voice with all creation
Now is the time to prepare and be bold
That we may not be left out in the cold
Prepare our hearts and minds for your coming soon
In our hearts let us make you room
A child was born on a cold dark winter night
To take us out of our darkness and into the light
A little baby so helpless and small
Would one day be the savior of us all
I wait with hope and joy so pure
And pray that this glow would have some allure
I wait for the star that guides me to your birth
And I pray you look with favor on this earth
We have turned from you; your truth, life and ways
We have let sin and death into our days
Help us do what is right and just
Give us the strength to do what we must
By the prayers of your people Lord
Come to our aid and let your mercy be out poured
Give us your great love for our fellow man
Let love take over our streets and land
Grant us peace of heart and mind
And that the good we seek, we may find
Fill us up as we empty ourselves for the King
And with the Heavenly Host now let us acclaim
The one was and is and will forever reign

Gathered at table we pray and join hands
Giving thanks for another year of blessing
It took a while but I think I’m beginning to understand
That we share our bounty with needs far more pressing
We join as one family children one and all
To partake of the feast laid before
Lifting our voices, hear us as we call
Let us be in awe of what you have in store
Bread from Heaven, living sacrifice
Broken and shared for all mankind
Pleasing you is my soul’s delight
Year after year you continue to remind
Us the reason for our joy, and where our hope lies
That if we would only seek your face
And keep our sight fixed on the prize
We would be with you in the holy place
We give thanks with happy hearts for your goodness flows
We turn to you with much rejoicing
We offer up our gifts and joys and our struggles and woes
We lift them all up with our petitions voicing
Hear our pleas and bless the child
Grant strength, peace and gentle spirit
May the desires of our mind and heart be reconciled
May wisdom be upon all who hear it
Protect and guard and bless and keep
Throughout their life and every waking hour
Watch over them when they rise and go to sleep
Look with favor on this baby a precious little flower
If they should wander bring them back
If they should stumble guide their feet
Bless them, that in you, they will never lack
That in your abundance they would be replete
Once again we give you thanks and praise
Oh Lord, giver of all good things
Help us cherish and make the most of all our days
Let love abound as kindness sings

There is a battle raging as we sit right now
An interior war with forces unseen
Heaven and Hell fight for control somehow
And by the blood of the Lamb I am redeemed
In this war for the heart of man
I am to fight, but I grow weary and I don’t think I can
But my commander believes and he gives me his strength
To press on and move forward to great lengths
He loves me and he has a plan a vision that I don’t see
That the war will be won and I will be free
In the war for the heart there is no greater goal
Than the very direction and life of my soul
The battlefield is everywhere and bodies lie all around
There is crying and mourning but it is without sound
I look out and see all the damage it has done
And on a fateful Friday the commander sent his only son
To turn the tide of this Holy war
A sacrifice so overwhelming it could not be ignored
When darkness seems so close
And I’m so heavy I cannot stand
A ray of light comes shining through
And he reaches out to take my hand
He bids me to get up and rise once more
I am given peace and rest and life is restored
I am not alone in this battle but surrounded by
A host of saints and angels and comrades sound the battle cry
I do not fight this war alone
But with strength beyond mere flesh and bone
Arm myself with the truth of Christ the rosary a shield
Wrapped in love and holy prayer I march onto the field
My mother watches over me leading me home
I cling to her for help I can’t do it on my own
Michael and the angels lead the charge and fight with holy fire
Endlessly they fight every day and through each night
And still by the commander’s hand they they never tire
In the battle for the heart we all must do our part
To live a life of purity and grace
And one day enter in to a perfect peaceful place
Still every morning the battle begins anew
In the war for the heart my hope and trust is in You

In Praise

In gratitude and thanksgiving we give you praise
Wisdom and blessings on the one who prays
We honor you the Most High God
We dance and sing you give you laud
We celebrate what we have received
Your life your very presence in us we believed
In the Eucharist our thanksgiving
Font of life and hope for the living
Your justice and mercy we extol
And in your loving arms you will console
Those who mourn and the pushed aside
Their cries are heard and their pleas are not denied
Your Love is boundless and Your grace abounds
As I get closer my heart now pounds
It beats so strong with life and vigor
You are radioactive and my heart gets even bigger
I love to love and i try to love like you
And your Love is the strongest glue
In gratitude for all the blessings and gifts
I come back to you with a song on my lips
There is a fire in my heart that will not die or dim
Because it was put there by none other than Him
Take Lord, all that we have to give
Multiply it and show us how to truly live
To serve not only our neighbor but even our foes
Treating all with care and respect for we are like the rose
Beautiful and sweet but be warned
If not handled right we may feel the thorns
We thank you God for the earth and all you have made
And still you know every hair on our head and every grass blade
And for your creation: a masterpiece and work of art
That we should love you with all our mind and soul and heart