Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Beyond the Pale, There Be Dragons


Savior

You cut the strings wrapped round our hands
And taught us a new dance, light in our steps
You chased away the marionette masters
‘Til they cowered in dark corners, gnashing their teeth
But we were afraid we would fall from our pretty painted shelves
So we bound our hair round our wrists, lifted our slackened arms
And stood still

You called down a cedar branch to pull us from quicksand
Renewing our minds so our feet remembered the firm feel of earth
You burned the marauders’ shovels and their watery solutions
So they were left with nothing to dig their next deception
But we were uncertain of the solid foundation under our walk
So we used our past to make our own liquid grave, eased ourselves in
And slowly sank

You sang over us as we crouched in our fetid darkness
Lighting us up with the truth of our purity, our righteousness
You cast out the bitter voice of the deadly harbingers
‘Til they clawed at their throats and choked on their breath
But we recoiled from this new sun shining through us
So we ran to the comfort of cold shadows, closed our eyes
And went blind

You thwarted every foe with song and branch and dance
You scattered our enemies to the outer edges of existence
You wept at our brokenness and bound our ugly wounds
You spoke us into life and loved us into freedom
You swam us through waters and flew us over skies
You won every battle teaching us the heartbeat of peace
And still we fought you

When will we open our eyes and hear your voice
Climb from the mire to be washed by your embrace
Unfurl our long freed wings and fly swiftly to you
When will we stop being the reason we can’t stand
When will we see that you have done it all
And it is all ours for the taking, if only, if only
We would.

Sometimes it Fades Away...

I think most of us, at one time or another, have felt this way. It is a unique kind of pain...excruciating in its bitter sweetness.

Éponine

I held the string of your colored balloon,
So you could dance with someone else
She was a willow tree with flowered hair,
Soft leaves falling gently at her feet
I was shrubbery, lingering in the shadows
Keeping watch over your colored balloon

I held the weight of your bundle of roses
So you could write the perfect verse of love
You asked me for words to paint her eyes, the waltz of her step
I placed in my palm what I had to give, hoping you didn’t see
Dirt rimmed nails and fingerprints stained with blood
Protectively wrapped around your bundle of roses

I held your hand and collected your broken tears
So you could wonder where it all went wrong
She spoke and you spoke, bitter lightning in a field
Angry footsteps led you away, tearing open your sky
Through my shattered breath I sang to you of what once was
Love that still could be, my heart drowning in your broken tears

I held my breath, my hand on my throat, on that final day
So you could walk down the aisle, to await another
The air filled with perfume as petals floated on the breeze
Soft tears from eyes carried murmurs of a love meant to be
She was your ever after, you were her once upon a time
I was a prayer that my heart wouldn’t fail, on that final day

I held my smile as you drew me in close, my world fading to black
You whispered, “Thank you dear friend”, and forever walked away   
She was your white ballet moon, her dance reflected in your eyes
You were her crystal ball knight, her shield in a gray satin waist coat
She was froth and wisps of silks; you were tall and drunk with love
I was the fool with a kiss on my forehead, slowly fading to black