Hero

I.
The day was dark as they waited
Knowing the end would come soon
The enemy’s deadly hatred
Claimed the power of a secret rune.

Years had left the land war-torn
Fertile soil turned barren dust
The wail came of a baby new-born
As the stars flaked down like rust.

The skies rained shards of fire
Explosions in a sea of glass
The traitor’s tongue turned liar
In the shattered dreams of the past.

II.
So the sword of the Summerlands broken
And the golden king’s glory waned
The songs of the bards unspoken
As promises unreal and vain.

The child grew up to a man
Bold in the face of the storms
With the healer’s touch in his hands
And scars from the briers and thorns.

He traveled across burning sands
To the green place of the first waterfall
Remembering his High King’s last stand
And how it had cost him all.

III.
Long ago a star rose in the east
Bright messenger without tongue
It told of the King who was Prophet and Priest
As the voices of angels had sung.

Forces of evil laughed cruel glee
As the sun went dark overhead
There was nothing left to see
For the Joy of the World was dead.

His followers hid full of fear
As he plundered the dungeons of hell
Curse-bearer who transformed the tears
With the promise that all shall be well.

Deeper magic flowed from his fingers
Victorious shout uncontained by the grave
His Spirit the guide left to linger
Down payment to prove that he saves.

IV.
Where the water shattered on stone
He gazed into the reflecting pool
The moon rose on a man all alone
His heart and his eyes brimmed full.

The morning would bring his last fight
The battle to end all this war
He looked out into the night
Knowing he’d never have anything more.

Stars tore the dark sky above him
He loved life and drew a deep breath
Hints that light lay waiting to come
Though tomorrow might hold his death.

As dawn cracked at the horizon
He sharpened his ancient sword
The world waited to be won
For the honor of his sovereign lord.

Aurah’s Dream

Silence hung like shroud of fog
Uncanny and unnatural
The land waned grey beneath its shadow
So I slipped between the cold stone walls
Into the cathedral
Everywhere place of deepest sanctuary.

A scream rose to my lips
As I choked on the death reek
Feet slipping on the blood-slick floor
Inside this mass tomb
The death camp, carnage house
Bodies stacked in hasty piles.

Here lies my missing army
Those who could have fought off the dark
Their laughter will not fill the feasting halls
Their tears will not water the barren soil
Instead they lie in unending sleep
Without names and without faces.

I fled to the street from the slaughter
To find someone to answer
What happened to unhallow the sacred?
Most stared uncomprehending
Turned and walked away
I walked alone the desolate edge of despair.

At the end of my path
A man sat in the shadows
On the ledge of a shallow cave
Face hidden, yet I thought I knew him
So I sat down beside him
Too shaken to cry.

What happened here
In this land of the dead?
Why did they die
When I live instead?
I asked him
Afraid of the wind’s biting chill.

His golden eyes cracked wide open with pain
As the tears I couldn’t find
Ran down his face
Hands clenched against the letting go
Breath caught hard to ward off a blow
Disaster haunting his waking dreams.

I looked in his eyes, this brother of mine
Silently pleading with him to speak
To let down his walls
Dismiss the phantoms who guard them
To catch me before
I broke all through.

He sighed, wind carrying away breath
Bound up together with the names of the dead
Opened his hand, strong arm around me
Setting free words I would never forget
Tale of massacre, innocents slain
Yet mourning still the loss to me.

Death you will see, my child-sister
You will learn well its siren song
It will play on your fears in nights spent alone
Stalk you by day and beguile your dreams
It will cripple your body and poison your soul
Until you’re afraid to ever be whole.

I shrank from his words and the touch of his hand
Closing my eyes and struggling to stand
Missing the ocean as it played on the strand
The cry of the gulls overhead
Taste of the salt on my lips
The light that I once took for granted.

Ground shuddered beneath my feet
As the sky above split open with thunder
Unleashing a storm that obscured everything
Rain pounding hard to crush growing life
Hope died in my eyes as I stared out in vain
Turned back to face him heartsick.

The ones I loved most have died unawares
Their blood stains my hands and will never wash clean
If you cannot teach me, I must go away
Roam through the earth
Walk over the land, ride the sea’s foam
Can you look into my mind and tell me to stay?

His eyes held the ages
The times and the tides
Forgiveness that chased me so I could not hide
His hands could mold history
Hold back the winds
Too strong and too gentle for me to escape.

I’ll send you to the corners
Where times and worlds touch
Once you’ve forgotten
I’ll seek you out there
Reteach you your name, how to breathe
How to tell the real from a dream.

[Aurah is my Dag character; this poem had its roots in a sermon about abortion, the value of life, sin, and the God who is sinned against.]

Alive Still

Your music will be a battle drum
Your lullaby a wilding battle cry
Your toys will be our swords that grow dull
And your blanket will be death’s pall
Your blanket will be death’s pall

Your first step will follow soldier’s boots
Your hands will reach out for their spears
Your babbling be lost in the loud din of war
And you’ll fall asleep to battle lore
You’ll fall asleep to battle lore

Child of blood
Child of war
Let go of your childhood
Forevermore
I’ll sing you a song
Teach you to kill
So you may grow up
And be alive still

Your music will be the wild sharp wind
Your lullaby be the whispers of ghosts
Your home will be a cold prison cell
And your blanket will be death’s pall
Your blanket will be death’s pall

Your feet will follow the road of the dead
Your hands will learn the knives’ dance
Your words will be lost in blood chilling cries
And you’ll dream with wide awake eyes
You’ll dream with wide awake eyes

Call yourself fighter
Call yourself stranger
Offer the love
That could tie you down
You’ll sing a song
Though you know how to kill
That they may grow up
And be alive still

[Okay. Yes. This one is odd. I think it comes from listening to a lot of Heather Dale on youtube and watching End of the Spear in missions class. . Oh, yes, and HUM 103]

Lullaby

Wind the ribbon out around your fingers
Wind the light of stars around your eyes
Fall asleep in peace tonight
There’s nothing here to harm you

Wind blowing in the green leaves of the trees
Moonlight dancing on the quiet sea
Fall asleep in peace tonight
There’s nothing here to harm you

Close the doors against the world outside
Find this home safe space to hide
Fall asleep in peace tonight
There’s nothing here to harm you

Hush, little child, listen to the story
Wrapped secure in the strong ancient words
Go to sleep in peace tonight
There’s nothing here to harm you

Fractured pieces slowly touch
Frayed soul edges start to heal
Go to sleep, don’t be afraid
There’s nothing here to harm you

Tomorrow will come
The sunrise will come
You’ll wake to see it
All in due time…

Complex Apologies

From the city walls at twilight
She looked out on the land
Stars hung luminous and low
Nightfall darkening the sky.

Free from fear and free from fright
She walked along the parapet
Looking at the smoke that rose
All was still inside.

A shadow covered the horizon
The enemy’s last stand
It blotted out the brilliant stars
And her heart began to pound.

What is this Death that stalks my city?
Who will hear my cry?
Her aching hands had to let go
As she wept with bitter agony.

From the homes that burnt with flame
Billowed smoke that blocked her view
Where were the messengers of hope?
She wrestled with the desperate lie.

Waves broke on the far-off sand
Under blood-red sun that rose and set
Battleships put men on shore
And they ran to join the fight.

The countryside ran red with death
Swords rang striking hard
The day wandered toward its close
Field covered with slain.

They have fallen and will never stand
They are gone to not return
I could not keep them here
She said these things as she cried.

[This one isn’t done, yet… it has a highly complex rhyme scheme going, one that sets it up to be extremely long, as well as a good bit of flow of consciousness. However, as I’m not sure I’ll ever actually feel like finishing it, here ’tis.]

The End of the World

Light refracts golden
Songs echo unsung
Fires leap up to heaven
But the world is not yet done.

Friends meet in battle
Mothers kill their young
We build towers up to heaven
But the world is not yet done.

Children play the system
Earth cries out with blood
We turn our backs on heaven
But the world is not yet done.

Knives flash in darkness
Stomachs ache with hunger
We shake our fists at heaven
But the world is not yet done.

Pain fragments psyche
Dreams come undone
We search fruitlessly for heaven
But the world is not yet done.

Questions echo heartbreak
Prayers sing with pain
A voice answers from heaven
The world is not yet done.

Darkness kills light dawning
Nightfall covers ruin
Yet stars shine high as heaven
For the world is not yet done.

Slaves cry out with captivity
Souls hide under their shame
Justice descends from heaven
For the world is not yet done.

Tears ache uncried
Blood streams incarnadine
The King cut off from heaven
But the world is not yet done.

He comes triumphant
Fist raised high over sin
The living Promise of Heaven
That the world can now begin.

The Curse

In the context of the trial of Jesus, the crowd cried out,
“His blood be on us and on our children!”

We wished for the horrible thing
We spat in the Lover’s face
We campaigned to crucify Him
The One who brought us God’s grace.

We stood in the Roman square
We cried out for the Lover’s blood
We denied Him as our King
And put a murderer in His place.

We lined the road to Golgotha
We laughed as the Lover fell
We mocked as His life spilled out
And ripped apart time and space.

He emptied Himself of glory
He conquered our enemy Death
He could not be held by the guarded tomb
This One with the life-giving breath.

He went to the Father’s hand
He became our great High Priest
He pleads strongly on our behalf
Until we sit at the great marriage feast.

He turned the curse into blessing
He covered us with His blood
He covenants with our children
And He says that it is good.

Ancient Paths

Your feet stayed firmly on the ground
And your eyes would not let go
Your words carried across the space
As an ice-cold wind blew through.

What is it that you seek in life?
Why have you followed me?
Your words wound tight with future fear
And tears I could not see.

I came to you an eager child
Blue-gold eyes that sang a story
Questions cut through layers of time
As the sky turned slowly dark.

What are the secrets long untold?
Where are the ancient paths of old?
The ways wind through layers of shadow
And sunshine fell upon us.

Nightfall came with sky colored black
And the stars hung bright and clear
Actions echoed through the time
As patterns shifted into place.

I gave myself to save another
She told me, breaking hard
We sat outside in cold grey dawn
And stories came undone.

Daybreak comes with eyes still open
Whispered words that touch our pain
Answers bought at ransom price
As we search for peace to sleep.

I don’t know how to walk this path
I did not want this to be me
Your hand stretches across the gap
And souls begin to breathe.

[Jeremiah 6:16]

Ilfirimain

We are made of dust
Skin that crumbles
Souls that crack
Tears tracing river beds
Dust that fades
And separates
And blows away.

Into the weakness and darkness
Of this silent planet
Comes a Word that breaks the barrier
You were not made for death
A Word that is deepest magic
A Word more sharp than any sword
A Word that silences even death.

We are made of dust
We breathe out death
But bloodstained hands
Are still at these words:
Not
Made
For
Death.

Who We Are

We are those who watched the stars fall
We are those who heard the sea
We built the now ruined wall
And we climbed the now felled tree.

We are those who walk in shadow lands
We are those who shout the cry
We stood upon the blazing sands
And we watched the loved ones die.

Death came on a sudden dark wave
It ripped out all we could not save
It crushed our hands and stole our dreams
As fabric torn with no seams.

The edges fray and whip in wind
Ashes mingle with the cinders
Sparks burn out and fires fade
Ruin all that we have made.

We are those who watched the light dawn
We are those who heard the hope song
We climbed upon the ruined wall
And we rebuilt the feasting hall.

We wage war in shadow lands
We are those with outstretched hands
We dive into the dark deep well
And we bring back the ones who fell.

Triumph came with the bright sunrise
Breathing restoration into all we lost
Enemies fell before His shining eyes
Victory bought with a terrible cost.

In His hands, the shattered heal
Morning breaks into the night
Frozen hearts begin to feel
And in the end, all will be made right.