Success Through Friendship

A concerned glance,

a caring touch,

it’s just enough

to pick you up and send you off.

Climbing back up,

it’s slippery and steep,

but your friends will be there to help you make the leap.

So enough with the self-pity,

stop wallowing in your misery.

You aren’t alone,

You have friends who care.

So pick yourself up and

Dare to Live Again.

Dare to Love Again.

Dare to Be There For Others.

Those little things,

a rub on the back,

a hug,

a look full of compassion,

they are like little lights

to help us get through the darker days.

On our own we’re merely blind,

but with help from friends

we can only succeed.

11 Sept. 2012 

High School Graduation

I never thought I’d break tradition,

but emotions have too much ammunition.

Blasting me with feelings,

poetry begins my healing.

I’m frantically seeking closure

‘cause I can’t believe it’s over.

High school came and went

and now I’m being sent,

commissioned by God

I’m joining his squad.

I’ll miss this place,

but once again I’ll show my face

for this is not good-bye,

it’s I’ll see you later. 

06 June 2012 

Jesus Matters

I use to hate rap, I thought it was crap,

but along came Lecrae; He taught me a new way to pray.

Use a bit a rhythm to lay out my heart,

maybe a beat, but I hope you hear this part.

Jesus, He’s the man, He’s the reason I stand.

For I once was drowning, but I’m no longer frowning.

I use to be on the out, but now I have no doubt

that God has called me in and so I turn away from sin.

Yeah I live my life clean, cause’ His face have I seen.

You won’t see me swearin’ up a storm,

nor to this world will I conform.

Stayin’ true to Jesus my Savior,

I’ll always watch my behavior.

For Him I love and don’t want to let down,

so I’ll forever proclaim His renown.

I don’t see what I could do for Him,

but I’ll take a leap of faith and swim

as I dive right in.

My faith won’t let me drown

though I face trouble when sharing the Great Noun.

I AM God said and I believe

so listen and receive

the blessed grace God gives

so we can choose to live.

Live With Him,

and Life For Him.

I could talk all day about His joy,

but I hope you know the story ‘bout Helen of Troy,

‘cause we all be in the position of Helen,

married to the desires of our hearts in this trap we fell in.

But along comes Jesus to take us to our real home,

and when we wander or roam,

He though a King and could send another

will personally come to help you recover.

He doesn’t enjoy watching you suffer,

but He knows it’ll make you tougher.

Our God is righteous and just,

completely able to trust.

God’s wrath is real,

but His love I feel.

Jesus took away God’s anger

on the journey to the cross from the manger.

God is Love and Love is He

so I kill the I and the Me for the WE.

Christians are called to live in community.

To do it alone is pure lunacy.

We are in this together.
We will live together and

We will Love together.

We may fall together,

but we will stand together.

We will learn together

and we will teach together.

And one day, we will meet Jesus together.

How awesome is that?!!

How I long for that day to come,

but for now my guitar I strum

worshipping Him who deserves all I have to give with music and praise.

My lips serve the only true God

and even though I’m flawed

I use these words to share Jesus with you

and show you what He can do.

Jesus matters

and even when my life shatters

I give Him all the pieces

to show in my life He increases.

If you don’t believe me

learn from Paul

who use to be Saul

so give Christ your all.

Not just two-thirds,

total surrender in other words.

Though God and sin are not compatible,

He thinks your life is valuable.

So He made a way

for you to be with Him TODAY.

Remember, God was the one to send

Jesus to help our brokenness mend

and reconcile us once again.

To think of Jesus who suffered,

the veil of God’s presence uncovered.

It’s mind-blowing, crazy, and often not believed,

but your life is completely redeemed.

Because of what Jesus went through

to Him I say Thank You!

I love Jesus with all my heart,

and I will not play some part

to temporarily please people

when I can eternally please the one for whom we build a steeple.

Hopefully you learned from something I said,

and were to Jesus a little closer led.

08 May 2012 (Revised 10 Sept. 2013)

Friend Extraordinaire

Sweet and Sincere,
It's her I want near,
if I happen to shed a tear.
Even if not daring,
she's actually caring,
and her time willingly sharing.
A beautiful woman of God,
be her I am awed,
and around her drop my facade.
Yet still she thinks I"m cool,
when most of the time I think I'm a fool,
constantly losing the duel
of my love for God vs. my sinful human nature.
Yet her behavior
continues to astound me and remind me of my Savior.
Loving unconditionally
with so much sympathy
I'm compelled to re-think my role in ministry.
When have I ever loved someone so deeply,
so openly or freely?
Especially after knowing them only a few days?!
Lord set my heart ablaze,
I don't want any more delays,
increase my capactiy to love.
With You as my master,
I shall Pastor,
as You've called me to.
But there are lessons here I must first learn,
knowledge I seek and yearn.
She can teach me,
and help me see
Beyond my pride.
Beyond my desire to be loved.
Beyond myself.
And that's exactly what I plan to do at this University,
give my soul a little more diversity,
rather than being so caught up with my own adversity.
Now here I must repent,
as I'm being sent,
to love on others.
I know she will continue to inspire,
and help me overcome my desire,
which must transpire
in order to do what God requires.
If I, surrounded my friends who care for me,
yearn to be loved so deeply,
how much more those who lack such friends would agree.
I must seek out those people,
love on them, and lead them to a steeple.
Because ultimately,
it is not love from me they seek,
but love from Christ
who casts out lives that are bleak,
blesses the meek,
and gives strength to the weak.
It is in Him,
and Him alone,
that lives are fulfilled
and dropped is the stone
that should be thrown
to end my sinful life.
But now I am Christ's wife.
His bride in this
Divine Romance
that my friend has helped make clear
to my mind full of fear
of rejection and loneliness.
Yet if we as sinners
are able to love with such compassion,
how much more is a perfect God
able to love His children.
And in doing so hopefully move us to action,
and spread His grace beyond all the nations.
This my friend has taught me,
and this I now teach you.


21 Aug. 2012

Time

Time. It's the chains that bind us.

It's the wings that give us flight.

Ever moving, never stopping.

Time. The friend of death

and the friend of Life.

It unites us and tears us apart.

It prohibits success, yet leads us ever closer to it.

Time. It is in itself a paradox.

You blink and it's gone.

You sleep for days but nothing's changed.

Now here I stand in Time,

My Time.

Yet how can I own Time

when so often it owns me?

The only escape from Time's grasp

is to ignore all thought of Time

and simply live.

10 April 2012

Perspectives

Perspective, Perspective, Perspective.

Life is all about perspective.

Life is not what you make it,

Life is how you view it.

But how you view it is based on family history.

Yeah, like the roots of a tree.

It’s where you come from; it’s who you be.

And it dictates how this life you see.

For example,

I’m white, I’m wealthy,

and I’m fairly healthy.

I’m showered with blessings from above

for I have all I need and no lack thereof.

Therefore I view life without restrictions

of the stereotypes that hold so many convicted.

These stereotypes govern our jurisdiction

hold the power of eviction

but have so many contradictions.

Yet, I am free because of my Savior’s crucifixion.

I’m so thankful and I try not

to take for granted things I have or the things I bought.

My view for life was once askew

due to my belief.

But my mind has become brand new

when Jesus stole my heart like a thief.

He showed me how some others live and it made me blue.

It came as a relief

when I had a breakthrough,

realizing that though I’m not Commander in Chief

I can help change this world’s view.

I can share the truth

even in my youth.

Show and Create a new reality (one) in which people see actuality.

One where we don’t just stand aside,

we do more than abide.

We actually live,

we strive

to make people thrive

and do more than survive,

to be revived and truly come alive.

All people,

regardless of what they view the right life to be.

Though there are certain wrongs,

especially since everyone longs

for a place to belong

and will just go along,

instead of standing up for what is right.

So now our world is in a constant fight,

with people bluntly stating outright,

what they think is right in their sight.

But I hate moral relativity

because it places humanity in captivity.

And I am appalled at our insensitivity,

how we treat each other with selectivity.

Aren’t we all equal?

Aren’t we all equal??!!!!

Then how can we treat stars so great

and yet throw down others

as if we could dictate

who is hot and who is not.

I look at people and I don’t see what

humans call beauty or humans call ugly.

I just see people.

God makes Masterpieces,

not failures.

and He made You.

My Father, he don’t make mistakes.

but even if he did,

His mistakes could be called perfection.

So take a look at your complexion which is of His reflection.

and don’t care about human rejection.

I am loved by Christ and I feel his affection

so I live for Him because of the resurrection.

With Jesus, make a connection, and

His love will fill you like an infection

Give your life direction.

Give you freedom

from the judgments of this world’s kingdom.

Trust me, Worship Him and know no idols

not money, glamour, nor fame

and then you will live without shame.

Life won’t be lame

‘cause your eyes will be on the prize heaven above

where you can find true love.

Now here my rap will end soon

but I want y’all to know that just like a brand new moon

your life can be swiped clean,

and though I’m just a teen

I swear I speak the truth.

Though my speech

may not be as great as those of Abe Lincoln,

I hope I got you thinkin’

22 Jan. 2012

Just Livin' life (v2)

"Every person exists, but only some truly live."

How will you live your one wild and precious life?

I myself, am awed by Life.

Not only humans, but all of creation.

I admire it,

But all too often ignore it.

I go through the motions too often,

I must break the cycle.

Even if I feel sad

Even if I feel pain,

I don’t want to go through life

without feeling and experiencing every moment.

I may not always understand the bad,

but it helps me appreciate the good.

I treasure every happy memory,

holding on to it with glee.

I try to enjoy life,

and every gift this Earth has to offer.

I love the life God has given me,

and so I try to give it back to Him.

I don’t succeed 100 percent of the time though.

Sometimes I care how others, not Him, think of me.

So many people, too many of us,

care about how others perceive us.

Because of this,

we waste so much of our precious little time.

The small amount of time we have,

we spend acting.

Acting in order to look

cooler, smarter, funnier.

Whatever it is we want to be,

We try to act that way

Shouldn’t we just stop acting,

and actually work towards becoming?

Becoming whatever it is you want to be,

Whoever it is you want to be.

What will I do with this one wild and precious life I have?

Just live it.

I won’t act.

I will be me.

I will appreciate who I am,

but always be working to better myself.

To be more Honest.

To be more Caring.

To be more Thankful.

To be more Real.

To be more myself.

To be more myself.

An original is always better than a copy, and

God doesn’t make junk.

And guess what.

God made you.

So what will you do with your one wild and precious life?

Will you act?

Or will you live?

Rewritten 29 Dec. 2011

My Favorite Teacher: The Final Edition

Another year has passed,

though not very fast.

Yet I'm hestitant to write this

'cause I know it'll be my last.

We share so many memories and laughs.

Whatever I'm goin' through,
I don't care what I do
as long as I'm with Dirks.
She's so understanding,
and never demanding.

But all this TA work...

She makes me grade,
I don't even get paid!
Yet I do it all with joy
and it's no decoy
'cause I'm just happy around her.
She makes my day every day
and there's no way I could ever delay
in thanking her today.
My admiration of her hasn't
changed through the years,
and I'd rather hang with her
than my immature peers.
But I hope I don't annoy
her with my constant presence,
since I am an adolescent.
I hope this poem shows her
what she does is appreciated,
even when our conversations are abbreviated.
And so I write this rap,
just to recap,
that she is still my Favorite Teacher.


16 Dec. 2012

My attempt at a Sestina

I walked down the hall

holding a book

and talking to my friend.

We talk of everything and nothing

What do words mean anyway?

Spending time is what matters.

And we do a lot of what matters.

At our house or in the hall,

cause I know, anyway,

as I've learned from reading this book

that life is too short to enjoy doing nothing.

And who better to do nothing with than a friend?

My Friend,

He matters.

But I don't want to do nothing

to further our friendship while in this hall.

So I show him my book

and he asks, "What's it called anyway?"

It's a Bible, I say, and anyway,

he loves to read, my friend.

So he takes the book

and says what does it matter?

The bell rings through the hall

and as he walks away I'm left to say nothing.

But I have to say something, not nothing,

I need my Bible back anyway,

so I run down the hall

to catch my friend.

A lot is what matters

I say. Your life will change when reading that book.

Really, he asks, my life can change just by reading a book?

Then he says nothing

dumbfounded as I nod, showing him he matters.

How could he not understand anyway?

He had seen a change in me, his friend.

We continued, though late for class, down the hall.

Anyway,

he began to understand, my friend,

as we finally left the hall.

13 Jan. 2012

I Remember

I Remember

the days gone by,

I Remember

askin' why.

I Remember the days

of simplicity, when

all was clear and without gray.

I Remember havin' a fight,

but makin' up overnight.

I Remember

knowing no shame

nor caring about fame.

I Remember

I once was myself

no money, no wealth

to taint my mind

or make me blind.

I Remember

being a child

not too wild

but neither mild.

I Remember

the events of school

full of verbal duels

Everyone trying to be the best

and show off the rest.

I Remember

wondering where

did the days of care

go?

I don't remember that.

20 Jan. 2012

What God Intended

Arm wrapped tight around

this living, breathing masterpiece,

her eyes looked out

over this treasure she held.

Her eyes full of thought,

thinking and searching as

they gazed to the unseen.

But it was obvious

her head and heart

were totally focused on this younger life.

Holding her, Protecting her, and Loving her,

a strange peace upon both their faces.

Observing this moment of godly beauty,

I could only watch and smile,

while a part of me longed

to be the one held.

12 Jan. 2012

Many Rhymes, Little Time

Freakin' out in front of Frau

hopin' for a miracle somehow.

So much to do so little time,

will I ever find a rhyme?

I want to flaunt good grades,

but work is daunting when I'm sicker than a maid.

So I hope for the best

and go along with the rest,

thinkin' this will beat the test.

Though this poem is rough,

I hope the rhymes are enough

to impress Hogan my teacher

so I won't be treated like Kreacher.

12 Jan 2012