Ice bound 12/15/2010
Under the ice
And over the waters
There is a hollow and a cave
A dream inside of a memory
And a mystery waiting to breathe.
In the deepest parts of self
There is the voice of God
The part that doesn’t need to guess
But just knows.
From a remote distance
The world seems strange
Not only corrupted
But heavy and painful
As if it turns with pain and longing
Just waiting for release.
The winter has frozen in
But not because of what you may think
Even the black trees seem tired
Flexing their fingers in the wind
Clutching at my hands
As if begging for relief.
Invisible thoughts and emotions
Transfer between our souls
As we collectively groan and dread
Always sad and always lonely
And waiting for something to happen
Or someone to understand.
Faith is a mystery
And God knows while we guess
The truth hidden in plain sight
But unknown to the blind of heart.
I sit in the margins
That is where my name is marked
Barely holding on
Just barely escaping
With nothing left to lose
As the fire brings it down.
I was trying to go home
And yes I almost made it
Sold out at the last minute
But I am not the first
And I am not the last.
Sometimes suffering happens
And it’s nobody’s fault
Unknown by the guilty of omission
Just another unreported despair.
But sometimes we ourselves are guilty
As we focus upon the self
Because we gamble with the lives of others
Without thought or conscience
Damning all
With avarice and pride.
And sometimes we make mistakes
Yes, sometimes even when we try
Flailing about and trying to survive
Imperfect and incomplete.
If the spirit could be seen
Then you would know
But faith is a choice
One you make
And keep forever.
A genuine substance
That you can’t see or feel
But nonetheless real
Silent but strong
Invisible but enduring.
A light behind the eye
And an idea in our heads
The inspiration in our hearts
And the fire in our belly.
Something more substantive
Than words or transient feelings
And something more perfect
Than any of our doings.
A fire that cannot be put out
And a life that cannot die
A means but not a vessel
And a truth without need.
People look but seldom see
And we read but never understand
The secrets remain elusive
But hidden in plain sight
While we run in place
Wasted and unaware.
The words of the prophets
Both ancient and tortured
Are just as true now
As they were then
Written for all
And written for me.
I underlined the words
And thought I understood
But there are things we cannot know
Not until we have truly lived
And suffered them through.
They hid in caves
And wrote down their pain
Words of agony and words of hope
With nothing to eat
And nothing to own.
They were mocked
And their faith maligned
Shamed, hunted
And alone in the dark.
They had to listen in silence
And languish in shame
As day after day passed
Without God
And without vindication.
Centuries have passed
But man is the same
Still thinking that his doings
Are greater than God
And his secrets
Hidden from view.
We run ahead of God
Just before his plan unfolds
Never patient enough to endure
Long enough to see the glory.
We only see the drudgery
And unfair obligations
But never seem to notice
That even the rain on our heads
Is but holy sanctification.
If we ever truly knew
What secrets would be revealed
Dancing like snowflakes in our eyes
The true beauty of the world.
Just because we pretend
Doesn’t mean no one knows
And just because we smile
Doesn’t mean that it’s ok.
It is far better to pray
Than it is to wager
And it is far better to be honest
Than it is to deceive.
I have heard the words
And I have seen the letters
Like a smoke signal from a distance
Proof enough of the fire.
The ice age obscures
The writing on the wall
And while we were sleeping
All the warnings have expired.
A year and a month
Or a day and a year
Time passes undetected
Cold, distant
Dead and remote.
A cold dark fire
In the pit of my heart
Burning into every thought
And destroying all my dreams.
The secret of the sun
Burning in the midst of winter
Imploding downwards
And into the deep.
A secret that never sleeps
Deep beneath our vision
Miles beneath our feet
A dark and silent ruin.
Every man has secrets
And every man has dreams
But mine are just sleeping
Waiting for the world to awake.
We map the heavens with stars
And navigate the oceans below
Never seeing the secrets
Buried in our hearts.
Nothing is over
Because I have saved the best for last
Always more hidden truth
That you do not know
And have not seen.
Just as true now as it ever was
The bizarre and shocking truth.
The letters that were written
And the deeds that were done.
They left no stone unturned
And there was nothing to low to try
Anything to get what they want
Anything to win
And anything to gain.
If you have no soul
Then you are an empty void
And if you have no spirit
Then you are already dead.
Every day on
And every day off
Never for a moment free
Always there to watch
And always there to know.
The lesser needs
And the lesser wants
But the greater knows
And somehow survives.
The fruit of the lie
Is suffering and death
And the consequence far reaching
Immeasurable suffering without end
Known but to God.
Tell me you love me
Ten times in a row
But it doesn’t mean a thing
If you don’t have a soul.
We sell ourselves out
And we sell ourselves low
Never breaking the surface
And bobbing in the waves
Never looking deeper
Deep enough to know.
Love is more than a feeling
And it is more than shallow pity
A mile wide but an inch deep
Ready to run for money or gain.
You were looking
But you never really saw me
And you thought that you knew
But never understood.
Mans doings don’t mean a thing
And all of it turns to dust in their hands
Scattered to the wind
And settled in the ground
Gone in an instant
And invisibly absorbed.
This fire cannot be put out
And the gift shall never die
Not subject to man or lies
And not for sale or trade.
Something’s cannot be swindled
And something’s cannot be stolen
Loyal unto death
Once and forever.
In suffering we are born
And new life springs from pain
The death of the old
Feeding the growth of the new.
The wounds are healing
From the outside in
Slowly the flesh knits over
The jagged cuts and gashes.
The same now as it always was
What was true, is true
And what was a lie
Is a lie still.
If you prayed to know truly
Then you would have seen
And if you had ever found the courage
We could have seen the glory
Of a full and rich harvest.
That God is real
And miracles can happen
That a man can grow and change
Becoming more than he ever thought.
That what was awkward
Can be natural
And what was lost
Can be better than new.
We look but never see
And we read but never understand
Predisposed to believe in deception
And cursed to doubt
The inexplicably divine.
Time takes forever, until it happens
And then in an instant it vaporizes
Quickly disappearing into memory
Like it never happened at all.
Then as now we live
Thoughtless and indifferent
Cruelly pretending that all is well
While the good are murdered
And evil excused.
In spite of memory
We cling to false safety
As we whistle passed the end
Just as dead in our dreams
As dead men are in tombs.
We have overslept our dreams
And passed the point of no return
Ignoring all the warnings
And pretending wrong is right.
God forgives and God heals
But only for the sincere
And only for those
Who make it right
For none who wager upon a lie
Shall ever see his glory.
It could have been anyone
Young or old
Man or woman
That is the truth
The truth that’s happened before.
A strange single minded abomination
That makes your heart stop
And your blood cool and thicken
That it turned out to be you
But could have been me.
My eyes did not deceive me
And my ears heard the words in full
That they were looking for anyone
Or maybe anything
Just something to fill the void
The kind that always needs.
The ice age is here
But it will not last forever
But just until an exact moment
The day we do not know.
There is no time like the present
And tomorrow won’t make it any easier
The hard work of choices
To do what is right
And never turn back.
Time enough to be yourself
Time enough to own your life
To freely explore the soul
And return
To what you never had.
To know thyself
Before you know another
To finish the beginning
Before you can share the end.
Under the ice
And over the waters
There is a hollow and a cave
A dream inside of a memory
And a mystery waiting to breathe.
In the deepest parts of self
There is the voice of God
The part that doesn’t need to guess
But just knows.
From a remote distance
The world seems strange
Not only corrupted
But heavy and painful
As if it turns with pain and longing
Just waiting for release.
The winter has frozen in
But not because of what you may think
Even the black trees seem tired
Flexing their fingers in the wind
Clutching at my hands
As if begging for relief.
Invisible thoughts and emotions
Transfer between our souls
As we collectively groan and dread
Always sad and always lonely
And waiting for something to happen
Or someone to understand.
Faith is a mystery
And God knows while we guess
The truth hidden in plain sight
But unknown to the blind of heart.
I sit in the margins
That is where my name is marked
Barely holding on
Just barely escaping
With nothing left to lose
As the fire brings it down.
I was trying to go home
And yes I almost made it
Sold out at the last minute
But I am not the first
And I am not the last.
Sometimes suffering happens
And it’s nobody’s fault
Unknown by the guilty of omission
Just another unreported despair.
But sometimes we ourselves are guilty
As we focus upon the self
Because we gamble with the lives of others
Without thought or conscience
Damning all
With avarice and pride.
And sometimes we make mistakes
Yes, sometimes even when we try
Flailing about and trying to survive
Imperfect and incomplete.
If the spirit could be seen
Then you would know
But faith is a choice
One you make
And keep forever.
A genuine substance
That you can’t see or feel
But nonetheless real
Silent but strong
Invisible but enduring.
A light behind the eye
And an idea in our heads
The inspiration in our hearts
And the fire in our belly.
Something more substantive
Than words or transient feelings
And something more perfect
Than any of our doings.
A fire that cannot be put out
And a life that cannot die
A means but not a vessel
And a truth without need.
People look but seldom see
And we read but never understand
The secrets remain elusive
But hidden in plain sight
While we run in place
Wasted and unaware.
The words of the prophets
Both ancient and tortured
Are just as true now
As they were then
Written for all
And written for me.
I underlined the words
And thought I understood
But there are things we cannot know
Not until we have truly lived
And suffered them through.
They hid in caves
And wrote down their pain
Words of agony and words of hope
With nothing to eat
And nothing to own.
They were mocked
And their faith maligned
Shamed, hunted
And alone in the dark.
They had to listen in silence
And languish in shame
As day after day passed
Without God
And without vindication.
Centuries have passed
But man is the same
Still thinking that his doings
Are greater than God
And his secrets
Hidden from view.
We run ahead of God
Just before his plan unfolds
Never patient enough to endure
Long enough to see the glory.
We only see the drudgery
And unfair obligations
But never seem to notice
That even the rain on our heads
Is but holy sanctification.
If we ever truly knew
What secrets would be revealed
Dancing like snowflakes in our eyes
The true beauty of the world.
Just because we pretend
Doesn’t mean no one knows
And just because we smile
Doesn’t mean that it’s ok.
It is far better to pray
Than it is to wager
And it is far better to be honest
Than it is to deceive.
I have heard the words
And I have seen the letters
Like a smoke signal from a distance
Proof enough of the fire.
The ice age obscures
The writing on the wall
And while we were sleeping
All the warnings have expired.
A year and a month
Or a day and a year
Time passes undetected
Cold, distant
Dead and remote.
A cold dark fire
In the pit of my heart
Burning into every thought
And destroying all my dreams.
The secret of the sun
Burning in the midst of winter
Imploding downwards
And into the deep.
A secret that never sleeps
Deep beneath our vision
Miles beneath our feet
A dark and silent ruin.
Every man has secrets
And every man has dreams
But mine are just sleeping
Waiting for the world to awake.
We map the heavens with stars
And navigate the oceans below
Never seeing the secrets
Buried in our hearts.
Nothing is over
Because I have saved the best for last
Always more hidden truth
That you do not know
And have not seen.
Just as true now as it ever was
The bizarre and shocking truth.
The letters that were written
And the deeds that were done.
They left no stone unturned
And there was nothing to low to try
Anything to get what they want
Anything to win
And anything to gain.
If you have no soul
Then you are an empty void
And if you have no spirit
Then you are already dead.
Every day on
And every day off
Never for a moment free
Always there to watch
And always there to know.
The lesser needs
And the lesser wants
But the greater knows
And somehow survives.
The fruit of the lie
Is suffering and death
And the consequence far reaching
Immeasurable suffering without end
Known but to God.
Tell me you love me
Ten times in a row
But it doesn’t mean a thing
If you don’t have a soul.
We sell ourselves out
And we sell ourselves low
Never breaking the surface
And bobbing in the waves
Never looking deeper
Deep enough to know.
Love is more than a feeling
And it is more than shallow pity
A mile wide but an inch deep
Ready to run for money or gain.
You were looking
But you never really saw me
And you thought that you knew
But never understood.
Mans doings don’t mean a thing
And all of it turns to dust in their hands
Scattered to the wind
And settled in the ground
Gone in an instant
And invisibly absorbed.
This fire cannot be put out
And the gift shall never die
Not subject to man or lies
And not for sale or trade.
Something’s cannot be swindled
And something’s cannot be stolen
Loyal unto death
Once and forever.
In suffering we are born
And new life springs from pain
The death of the old
Feeding the growth of the new.
The wounds are healing
From the outside in
Slowly the flesh knits over
The jagged cuts and gashes.
The same now as it always was
What was true, is true
And what was a lie
Is a lie still.
If you prayed to know truly
Then you would have seen
And if you had ever found the courage
We could have seen the glory
Of a full and rich harvest.
That God is real
And miracles can happen
That a man can grow and change
Becoming more than he ever thought.
That what was awkward
Can be natural
And what was lost
Can be better than new.
We look but never see
And we read but never understand
Predisposed to believe in deception
And cursed to doubt
The inexplicably divine.
Time takes forever, until it happens
And then in an instant it vaporizes
Quickly disappearing into memory
Like it never happened at all.
Then as now we live
Thoughtless and indifferent
Cruelly pretending that all is well
While the good are murdered
And evil excused.
In spite of memory
We cling to false safety
As we whistle passed the end
Just as dead in our dreams
As dead men are in tombs.
We have overslept our dreams
And passed the point of no return
Ignoring all the warnings
And pretending wrong is right.
God forgives and God heals
But only for the sincere
And only for those
Who make it right
For none who wager upon a lie
Shall ever see his glory.
It could have been anyone
Young or old
Man or woman
That is the truth
The truth that’s happened before.
A strange single minded abomination
That makes your heart stop
And your blood cool and thicken
That it turned out to be you
But could have been me.
My eyes did not deceive me
And my ears heard the words in full
That they were looking for anyone
Or maybe anything
Just something to fill the void
The kind that always needs.
The ice age is here
But it will not last forever
But just until an exact moment
The day we do not know.
There is no time like the present
And tomorrow won’t make it any easier
The hard work of choices
To do what is right
And never turn back.
Time enough to be yourself
Time enough to own your life
To freely explore the soul
And return
To what you never had.
To know thyself
Before you know another
To finish the beginning
Before you can share the end.
