#9: Rose in the Rubble

Not to be confused with Tupac Shakur''s, "The Rose That Grew From Concrete" which I encourage everyone to read, this poem below uses the same subject matter (a rose growing in an unlikely place) to teach a different lesson. The lesson that mankind's work, in the end, is finite and leads to ruin, but God's work is infinite and leads to life, even in the most unlikely of places. 

Fun fact about this poem - I wrote it on Pi Day, 3/14 and it only took three minutes to write. Possibly in 3.14 minutes but I wasn't timing myself. 

Everything we've built,

all that we've been doing,

it turned in to rubble,

it turned in to ruin.

Out of our own effort,

none of it could last,

all of our great works,

are relics of the past.

But look a little closer,

you'll see something surprising,

the future is approaching,

a stem begins arising.

Amidst the scorching sun,

amidst the pouring rain,

in spite of what we've done

there will be life again.

Lastly, Happy Birthday to my 2 year old niece Katie. You are so cute and sweet. I love you very much. See you soon.

#8 Tapestry

Tapestry

Tree

Nothing out there could make me more content

Then my sugar berry tree’s sweet summer scent

In the season its leaves, so lush and green

Butterflies flutter as hummingbirds sing

With shade from the leaves and branches to climb

These days off school are a glorious time

That front yard of my childhood, a kind memory

Made even sweeter by that sugar berry tree

Swing

I would play in that tree for days on end

So many games to play, worlds to pretend
I was king of the jungle, lord of the land

All of nature’s beasts obeyed my command

To add to such a marvelous thing

My papa attached to it a spectacular swing

Back and forth, to and fro

Flying around with nowhere to go

Love

First loves often become memories of the past

But my first love was also my last

A beautiful gorgeous blue eyed girl

Her presence made my insides swirl

I invited her to my yard to play

We sat in that swing, what a glorious day

I held her close all through the night

Love blossoming between black and white

Stares

Sitting on the swing, I stared deep in to her eyes
Pondering how such feelings could arise

It couldn't get better, just us on that swing

On top of the world, I felt like a king

As time moved on, passerby’s would stare
they’d mutter they’re judgments while casting a glare

Apparently they didn't like what they saw

I was a young black man, but I broke no law

  

Night

They burst through the door just past midnight

I was asleep in my bed, unaware of my plight

My love in tears she pointed and accused

I stared in disbelief, completely confused

A man with a gun yelled, “Is this him right here?”

He grabbed for my arm, I was frozen in fear

“Your filthy hands touched my daughter!”

He led me outside like a lamb to the slaughter

Yard

My front yard was now the place of my trial

Guilty the verdict by the rank and file

I guess I committed an unspeakable crime

But for my sentence, I would not do time

I looked at my love, but she wouldn't look back

I could not understand what brought this attack

I looked at my tree, for some sort of hope

But all I could see was my tree swings rope

Rope

Oh sweet sugar berry tree

All of their eyes stared murderously

I still don’t understand what I did wrong

Why society deemed that I can’t belong

They strung me up with the rope from my swing

And turned me in to a ghostly being

Who knew that love could bring such spite?

This is no place for black and white

This poem is inspired by (but not based on) the story of Lennon Lacy, a 17 year old who was found hanging from a swing in North Carolina. The police concluded it was suicide, however, further evidence is pointing to this being a lynching. In 2014. A lynching. In the United States. Terrible.

#7: Adoration to the Lamb

My absolute favorite piece of art is the Ghent Altarpiece by Hubert and Jan van Eyck. Created during the Northern Renaissance and being the defining piece of "new realism," it is an epic depiction of God's plan according to the Bible. It is considered a treasure of the world and is also famous for the many times it has been stolen (Napoleon, Nazis, Calvinists, Iconoclasts and more) and then returned.

It is stunning in terms of how much detail was taken to craft this masterpiece. The vast cast of Biblical characters depicted is amazing. You could spend months studying the different characters and details and still not fully grasp the majesty of this piece.

The use of light and shadows, the diverse cityscapes and land formations in the background, and even the specific people are meticulously crafted. Take for example Saint Stephen (the first martyr, stoned in Acts 7:57-60) approaching the altar with the very stones that were used to kill him. When I first learned of Stephens depiction in this painting, I was blown away. And Saint Stephen is in no way a focal point of this piece.

A few years ago, I was preaching to a group of graduating seniors at Davis and used this painting as the focal point of my message. The painting helped to provide the students perspective as they finished their time in college and transitioned to their next phase of life. As the painting continued to resonate with me, I then wrote the below poem.

At the very bottom of this post is a link to a website that contains the Ghent Altarpiece in 100 billion pixels. Check it out

In adoration to the Lamb

Where sin hath lost and grace began

There is no other who is victorious

There is no image that can be more glorious

The goldsmith, blacksmith, politician, and queen

All kneel to the lamb, the lamb that redeems

He doesn't lie on the altar, although he was once dead

He doesn't lie on the altar though his sinless blood was shed

No, the Lamb stands on the altar, alive and well

He stands there majestically, for He has defeated hell

Come to the altar and adore the true king

Come to the altar for He is beckoning

http://closertovaneyck.kikirpa.be

#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