With fustigation to amelioration
We are led by The Law to The Gospel
And in turn The Gospel demands we keep The Law
No epistle of straw, there’s room in the hostel
(Because God’s style to the world is hostile)
We are led by the Spirit
To learn to endear it
Endear what? Is a sinful recitation
Learning to serve others in convocation
(God calls us and overhauls us
Whether one by one and together)
How do we inherit eternal life?
By loving our neighbor as serving kin
Who is our neighbor?
The one without (as in not having and not within)
The fustigation of Jesus Christ
Begs our amelioration of a fustigated life
And if a cruciform life is led
There must be blood, sweat and tears shed in stead
(Or instead of the evil in tow as is led here below)
Life is hard, there’s no doubt about it
Jesus’ words touted and shouted from the Cross
But serendipitously (and graciously)
When we lose, we don’t count it as loss
Are you willing to look like a hypocrite to the world without?
Are you willing to look at the hypocrite within?
(As He lived and then hung betwixt two of us)
Jesus took on this struggle without committing a sin
Mine have been brown for some time now and refuse to grow
Rather or not your garden is any greener I'm curious to know
I can only go off the way your lawn seem to appear
The fresh cut grass smell anytime you're near
That promise of growth due to your daily manure
Unlike my garden, your beauty comes off secure
I can tell you have had a green thumb for some time now
I want to change from grass to wood chips but wouldn't know how
I been tolerating embarrassment from the eyes of others
Water can't hold under fake grass, shall I go any further
Other gardeners have given help and different suggestions
But I tend to over water at times leaving wrong impressions
I've tried different methods and every idea over the years
I've tried replowing, re-weeding with blood, sweat and tears
I realize your grass isn't greener and that my soil is just tough
But my current garden is withering and at this point I had enough.
They say time heals
They say it will turn into a passing memory.
But instead, it's a festering wound.
Her body can barely keep up with the whiplash.
Holding on to years' worth of baggage that grows heavier with each passing year.
She was slowly suffocating
Every breath was a task.
It was time to put down what she carried.
It was time to start breathing for the first time since she could remember.
No longer held together with fake smiles and forced laughter.
No longer running until she was wasting away.
Healing took hitting rock bottom.
Healing took her blood, sweat, and tears.
Healing took years of her sitting, undoing knots.
Some days the past leaks in like a thick smoke that you have to wait for it to pass before continuing.
And other days it's just a thin mist, light enough to walk through.
Healing is not just minutes, hours, days, or months.
Healing is continuous.
I know my flaws are multitudinous
so I pray my best efforts are illuminous
so that underneath you cannot really see
the broken fragments that once made me.
The darkness that lives inside my chest,
clings to me like a safety vest.
Don’t want you to know that from my very core, I’m chasing someone who isn’t here anymore.
The time has passed and the years have flown
yet nothing seems to have grown,
since when I turned about eighteen
when everything had not yet been seen.
Each day feels heavy and set in stone,
each day I feel more alone.
If you had told me all those years ago,
that still today I have nothing to show for my torture, blood, sweat and tears
I’d simply shake my head and jeer
because there’s no way I’d have placed me here
drowning alone, drowning in fear.
Roses are red... violets are blue
One of these days, I’ll find out the truth
The answers to life, it’s one of those things
You’re either the puppet or pulling the strings
Daisies are white… tulips are pink
The ocean’s nice, don’t mean you should drink
Not everything that shines is gonna be gold
Not everything in life is meant to be controlled
Lillies are sweet… sunflowers are sunny
The root of all evil is the love of money
We’re drawn to our sins like flies to honey
Our eyes glazed over like digital mummies
Seaweed is green.. the ocean is blue
Wake up the crowds so they have a clue
Blood, sweat, and tears are proof that you’re through
It’s time we fight back and stop getting screwed
Roses are dead… Violets are burning
The world’s in a state of something concerning
There’s no use for crying or tireless yearning
One day we’ll get it right and then we’ll start learning
fist through glass mad
actually it was in a knocking position
however, my disposition wasn’t good
shattered my anger; brought
blood, sweat and tears
forgiveness was the silence
my parents were golden
Wake Me Softly
~~~~~~~~~~~
waking in a dream
again and again
discarding the shell of what was
for a figment of what is
distant vista eagerly awaited
the naked truth, dearly dreaded
show me not what is real
show me what could be
when you are a dreamer
you just never know
imaginary dreamscapes
fantastic lucidity of delusion
prestigious fortune of grit
when blood, sweat, and tears
and mere passion
not only fall short but
they will never be enough
blind faith in the gamble
my hand is strong
but one shy of flush
a bell pierced the haze
in my wake all that I see
is the awkward silence in between
a furrowed brow and dirty fingernails
the mind it boggles
that when the ground floor hits
I've fallen asleep
5 more minutes
then wake me softly
with callous laid hands
the old man toils garden soil
of this dry, hard land.
as his blood, sweat and tears drip,
he gladly gives all he can.
he has seen the dawn,
and he has seen the sun set,
now he sees it all
as meaning and metaphor,
of this living garden bed.
he realizes
that everything in the end
must wither and die.
and his years have now condemned,
the sprite of youthful passion.
Blood, sweat and tears
All in the name of eliminating my fears
Blood, sweat and tears
Just to find myself inside a Mercedes, getting an ego boost when I shift gears
Blood, sweat and tears
Creating a steel Armour in the form of riches
Ensuring the arrows of poverty don't pierce
It will be blood, sweat and tears till when?
My pains have outweighed my gains
What a heavy burden for my patience
They say blessings come as heavy rains
But it's been a dry season
As if an evil deity reigns
Hard to succeed, as if becoming the next king is forbidden like we living in a Herod type reign
But it's blood, sweat and tears till the gold appears
Destiny says I cannot endure my pain in vain
I know grace so I'll endure
On the days I fall short
Appreciation of the blessings I can count will be the cure
I wrote this for you, every letter that meets your gaze, every word that will replay in your head for days, I wrote this for you, I wrote all of it, hoping that maybe one day you would see, and you would believe what you meant to me, all the I love you’s, all the distant stares, heaven was a place for after death but I had already been there, I wrote this for you, through blood sweat and tears, as my writing improved through the years, in my head, I told you I’d change, and I did, I wrote the furthest of dreams, on one sheet of paper, and I hoped you would see them later, for the lovers you know, and the limited lengths they are tired to do, I wrote this for you.
Gonna Fly Now
(1976)
Let's go the distance.
Push against the resistance.
Keep pushing no matter how tired you are.
Stay strong, run far.
There is no day tomorrow.
Keep your dreams alive today and forever.
This is your time now.
Put in the hard work.
When the lights are out, work harder.
Underground at the gym where it’s darker.
This is your story.
Reach for the glory.
If you had one chance, would you take it?
You're gonna fly now, you’ve made it.
Blood sweat and tears.
Wake up early and get in gear.
You were born for this.
You have a heart kid.
Even when I’m old and gray.
All still put up a fight at the gym any day.
You're investing in your health.
I cannot fail.
Feel the burn deep inside.
Dig deep with pride.
She gave her heart to only a few
Some she just met , others she knew.
They were each different, but still just the same
They never knew her only her name.
They lied and cheated and played their games.
Forever turned into never, now she'll never be the same.
They left her broken and bruised over the years
But she fought her way through the blood sweat and tears.
Now each day is a fresh start as she rebuilds the fortress around her heart.
The summer.. such a shame. Why am i back here?
School has been going pretty well. i maintain my grades and i’m striving to pass with all A’s.
Just a month ago, relationships are a pity. i sought interest in a person.. declared negative.
Im not supposed to be emotional, why am i this way? i thought i liked him.. declared untrue.
A hook tossed into a lake, i thought i had it but it swam away. it all feels like a repeated cycle..
blood sweat and tears wasted, to a boy who blew away the flame.
Although it was he who ended, i blame myself for being emotionally attached.
i get angered at the time the moment happened.. oh so lucky am i
he gave his self a chance to be happy, but what about me?
You chose a poet.
So you’ll be loved more than the moon loves the stars
But you’ll also have to handle the darkness
The silence when that cloud descends over her head
The begging for you to stay when you hadn't said anything about leaving
Because her heart has been broken
Over and over
If not by another boy
Then by herself
The high expectations
The imposter syndrome
Because she’s never good enough
She tries and tries and tries
But nobody notices
The blood sweat and tears drip off her face and onto the page
That paper is the only one who knows
So if she opens up to you
Don’t break her even more
Tell her how much you love her
And how you’ll never leave.
Tell her you’re not obligated to stay, but you want to
Tell her she's gorgeous and don’t let her brush it off
Because she’s a poet.
She lives off words
But doesn’t believe what others say.
Prayer
open door to heaven - devil’s descent at such prospects
teeth and claws - the nails on the cross
light seeps through Christ’s wounds - more sheep gather
angels take notice - boldness of blood, sweat and tears
angels and demons - double-edged sword slashes perversity
prayer’s perspicacity - heaven wins
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