#6: What the Fish Don't Know

Fishing from the fish's point of view is much different then the human's. Could you imagine biting in to a juicy hamburger and then getting your mouth caught on a barbed hook? The hook then pulls you up in to the air where a mysterious animal proceeds to cook you and eat you? I have; its in the poem below.

Hunger, hunger, I need to be fed

I eat and I eat, or else I’ll be dead

Where is my next meal, where is my next fly

I better find my next meal, or else I might die

I swim in the calm, I swim in the storm

I swim to find sustenance, I swim for the worm

Hunger, hunger, my belly, it aches,

I’m hungry, I’m hungry, survival at stake

My eye spots a sparkle, on this calm winters day

It’s the flutter of wings, on the surface of the lake

I swim to the spot, so I can have my lunch

But this fly looks sorta funny, its wings in a bunch

I take a big bite but made a mistake

This was not a fly, but merely bait

I was caught by my mouth on a shiny little string

It was quite uncomfortable, quite a painful thing

The string pulled me up as I struggled and gasped

I guess this is it, this meals my last

At the end of the string was a surly old man

He held the shiny string tight in his hand

He set me down on the ground of his boat

Then he hit me with a hammer, across my throat

Hungry, he’s hungry, he needs to be fed

He eats, he eats, or else he’ll be dead

He looks at his pan, quite a sizzling dish

Magnificent dinner, magnificent fish.

#5 - Princess

I wrote these poems back when I was in school at UCDavis. It was a hand written piece, so I hadn't edited it until now. I decided to change the perspective of the poem with a few tweaks. This is written from God's point of view as he is speaking to this girl. He wants her to know that He loves her and He will always love her because the nature of Him is love itself. As bad as things get, and no matter how far she falls, God is completely and ridiculously in love with her. On my best days, this is how I comprehend God to be. My worst days tend to be when I forget this. 

Part 1: Princess don’t follow the king of fools

I see you wandering these streets looking for something to eat

And your heart begins to shudder

As you lie down in the gutter

Where is your faith when your mother has abandoned you

Where is your hope when your father keeps abusing you?

Is this the place that you escape as your hope only deteriorates?

Fifteen years is not so far yet I see that needles mark your arm

Searching for the vein

For an escape from your pain.

But it is not worthy of your time

These aren’t the mountains you should climb

And to think your innocence is lost

To a man who could pay the cost...

of a fix

Part 2: Princess please live beyond these darkest of days

These are the dark days of your past

And there are dark days ahead

It seems like every day is a dark day

When your heart is already dead

Feeling cold and alone

Every moment is despair

Your body needs a fix

To get back into gear

They say “things fall apart”

But you had nothing from the start,

Broken from day one

Your innocence undone

Before your life begun

They tell you what you do is wrong

But it’s the only path you know

The darkness is the land you tread

And you tread this path alone

You have no faith because there is no one you could ever trust

You have no hope because the world has never been just

Part 3: Princess you are beautiful 

You are still beautiful in my eyes

Let me redeem you from the world’s lies

For this pain, it is not right

 it's not my ultimate design

Let me carry you out into the light

Beyond your ideas of wrong and right

Despite the dark days, you are my delight

Here I am with my hand extended, I am the light that never fades

#4 - The Disconnect

Do you think our relationships are strengthened or weakened by the rise of the internet and social media?

Oh sweet connection of the fastest kind

Downloading information in the shortest of time

Of things consequential, my computer doesn’t know

Of things unimportant, on the monitor it’ll glow

You light up my face as I open each file

But of meaningful moments, I’m in denial

For the brightness comes from an artificial light

And it confuses my heart on humanities plight

There are so many places on the web to surf

So much to read that is of little to no worth

#3 - The Road to Moriah

I believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. Now that is a loaded thing to say, but I have good reason to believe what I believe. I hope for you, that you understand and have good reason to believe what you believe, because if you don't, then why believe it? 

This poem is written from the perspective of Abraham as he is walking to the region of  Moriah to sacrifice his son Isaac as told in Genesis 22:1-19. I would recommend reading the story from the Bible if you haven't yet for context. 

The basic plot is God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac but just as he is about to, an Angel tells Abraham to stop and then congratulates him for putting God first. For Abraham, his son Isaac was the son born from God's promise which wasn't fulfilled until his wife was 90 years old. So its safe to say it was a miracle that Isaac was born because I can't imagine my Great Grandma giving birth to someone at 90. The idea of sacrificing his son (especially given the circumstances) must have been difficult to swallow. The poem below is my attempt at understanding Abraham's heart and the turmoil within, but also the conclusion he comes to based on what he knows of God. 

The Road to Moriah

The promise of my faith is put to the test as feelings of dread overwhelm

My miracle and joy I will lay on the altar and give to the heavenly realm

For what have I to gain if I disobey the creator?

What is there left to pursue if there is no one greater?

For I cannot turn away from the one true blesser

I cannot ask for the heavens from anyone lesser

For to do that would be the end of my being

It would mean the betrayal of my heavenly king