One day I won't get upset
I won't feel regret
I'll never remember
Anything that's been said
I'll be able to focus
Life will be endless
Possibilities without fear
Or needing forgiveness
Love will be overflowing
No guessing
No unknowing
I won't think about mistakes
I won't dwell on imperfection
I won't give in when temptation
Rears it's ugly head
Nothing will hurt me
I'll feel only love instead

Feet of Clay
Pierced by shards
Of broken hearts.
Diluted in pools
Of sad salt tears.
Corrugated by stones
Of heavy words.
Filthy in dust
Of acidic memories.

Until... one day...

The shards become rubies
Precious in
Their worth.
The tears become bloodlines
Precious in
Their life.
The words become peaks
Precious in
Their zenith.
The dust become evergreens
Precious in
Their hope.

A mountain has arisen
From the jumbled mound
That were Feet of Clay!
The earth may quake
The wind may roar
The mountain stands
Once Feet of Clay!
Broadly facing the storm
A fortress of stone she is!
Preserved and Honored!
Monumental and Mighty!
Bounty and Beauty!



Still...

Beneath her...

Remain...

Feet of Clay.

A dim flame flickers,
     as if it were dancing to a rhythm..
     as if it were alive,
     as if it was reflecting a life.
It fights with itself...
               extinguish, breathe,
     extinguish, breathe.
The light bounces off its surroundings,
Doing a tango with its shadow.
     Light, darkness.
     Good, evil.
     Strength, weakness.
It casts demons on the wall,
It casts illuminations on the wall.

A light breath,
     threatens its dance,
          while the tiny wick
               struggles to provide life.
A drop of oil,
     fuels the glimmer,
          while the air whirls by,
               jeopardizing its fate.

A dim flame flickers,
     bobs and weaves,
     jumps and jives,
     flashes and sparks.
A war between the elements,
               Fire, air...
     Air, fire.
Radiating beauty,
Providing a glimpse of hope and soul,
     Chaotic and raw,
     Wild and free,
     Magnificent and untamed.
Embrace the dark and honor the shine,
Love the twilight and be engulfed in the magic.

I am a forest
I am lively and wholesome
Organic and pure
I am a home for the abandoned
I provide for those who need
I am a giver
Who is never thanked
My floor is always walked on
My branches always cut
My resources taken advantage of
I am a necessity for the ungrateful
A savior for those who don't care
You are fire
Burning down everything in your wake
Charring my wood and
Turning me to ash
You are a destroyer of all things good
You singe and you melt
You arise from a spark
Come in uninvited
Sensing weakness
You travel fast
You leave too quick
But with every forest fire
Life begins anew
A clear slate
From which we can start all over again

Watching clouds, they all look the same;
rough edges but the corner's are tame,
and there's no sun awake for me to greet,
I've got a cold soul and even colder feet.

Dark whispers go to lick my ears,
the shadows that have followed me for years,
they keep me company when I'm alone,
multiplying in size for every inch I've grown.
With every weakness I've shown.

I stand on the edge
of the obsidian water
that has pooled together
Touching the tips
of my bare toes
of my bare bones

I am curious
to see what lies
on the other side
of the water
and my reflection
beckons me
but it is different than I

I am strong
I am the swell of the ocean
I am natural
I am a petal refusing to bow to the rain
I am exposed
I am content in my nakedness

But my reflection is inviting
as she waves to me
to come over to the other side

I am falling head first
into the pool
and I feel every hair
being ripped and laid
perfectly in place
and I feel my face
become malleable wax

And as I emerge
from the pool
on the other side
I am gasping
My skin is red and smooth
My hair is shiny and long
My face is smiling and demure

But my ocean is a puddle to be stepped in
But my petals are to be plucked at any given moment
But my nakedness is to be shamed and clothed

And as I look around
a myriad of pools
surround me
with people
who are just as horrified
as I am

because we are not who we are.

Breathing is not an option here,
Pressed against windows to fill
The cracks:
Don't let the water in.

The streets are flooding.

Find higher ground,
Ink bleeds down pages scarred
With words:
Save yourselves.

The streets are flooding.

Home groans against the pressure,
Begging to break and snap with
Powerless moans:
Don't succumb.

The streets are flooding.

"Find higher ground!" I scream,
They glare at me for disrupting
Their silence:
They won't hear me.

The streets are flooding.

The sound pools in my ears,
I used to collect rain drops in
Clay pots:
I want to rush the waves.

The streets are flooding.

I am too scared of heights to climb,
The glass is fogging I am trying
To breathe:
Open the gates.

I am flooding.