Paper boats, gliding across an open lake
We never thought it’d reach the other side
A note at stake that we thought would sink
In prayer that so will the thoughts we hid inside
The scent of lemons as we sat by each other
Crossing our arms over ourselves, protecting ourselves like our mothers
Should have, should have held us when they had the chance
But we are far away now
Our tears become kites that we fly up in the breeze
To have some sort of embrace, though rather cold
We know that where we go is up where we seem to be
But even our senses are wrong, our emotions not so keen
The smell of sweet salt dances in the air,
As if teasing our eyes once again
To be met with the cheeks until going down our cheeks
Into our hands in a closet
The sweet tang of lemon as a message is written
Burned, the repeated
Through this cycle that we once called life, a game we don’t care to lose
So once again we watch as the paper starts to glide
But instead of the paper boat so carefully folded
A plan with wings made of a feather sets free among the wind
Over the river, over the mountains, over that lake to what we’ve sent
Where it shall go, we’ll never know
And we hope for the words to drown again
To dissolve before reaching the dear God’s hand
Written of travels over his beautiful, broken land
We hope that it remains unread,
But he read our lips before the thoughts were even said

I'm always contra-

dicting myself, believing --


what I don't believe.

people have their god
               and
people have their no god
               but
neither has solid proof
                nor
the definitive answer
               only
what they truly believe in
                and
they’re so sure of themselves
               that
they’ll defend and protect their beliefs
                  if
any differences are shouted at them
                 and
they’ll hold and cradle their beliefs
               tightly
like a security blanket
                 and
they’ll preach their beliefs
                  to
any pair of ears they come across
                  it’s
the never-ending game
           straddling
the on-going centuries
                  if
you have god, go with god
                and
                  if
you have nothing, go with nothing
                 just
leave me the hell out of it:
your beliefs
      my beliefs
          his beliefs
             her beliefs
               their beliefs
                 were never a certainty.

A belief is a thought I believe in.
Only thoughts that we believe in become our beliefs.

When Jesus talks, I listen to his words,
Which always, make me think,
Usually when I’m alone, they can arrive,
At any moment, as quick as an eye wink.
Not answers, to make the world perfect,
God gave us that gift years ago, humans,
Are not the best caretaker’s, perfect, is not,
The choice word for many, just look behold.
When Jesus was born, from the shining of a bright star,
Kings arrived, on camels with gifts, even gold, they believed!
Why was evil permitted to take over, to deceive, today,
Not much sharing, those with wealth use it to control,
Always talk of wars, more ways to ****, from evil minds,
God could dismiss those, and their dangerous toys,
At any moment in time.

The Original: Tom Maxwell © 2/7/2025 A.D.

If there's one thing I take away from this,
It's that you need to be a free thinker,
And make your own decisions.

If you want to believe something,
You should look into it first,
I don't know the people this may hurt.

Faith is a torch I must carry,
I won't let the beliefs it taught us fade away.
Brotherhood, loyalty, bravery,
I pray so we don't meet the day,
God is replaced with a robot.