For a...

I will struggle to say this once so pay attention because I hate repeating myself.
You are a beautiful garden, not hidden, but lost and forgotten in this overgrown city
And I have watched from this balcony as strangers pass by daily, withholding their half love
The flames of hell lick higher and higher, trying to take a beauty eternal and unyielding
Vanity passes by and misses out on a sight the average eye is to ignorant to understand
Take heart because love is on it's way to sweep you off your feet
These years of waiting will seem like mere minutes and worth every penny when your heart is uncovered
Let the passersby miss out so God's chosen can bring joy into your world

A Walk, A Kiss, A Smile

She said kiss me like you'll never see me again
Her perfume striking the air around me, filling my nostrils with her desire
We embrace, mouths touching and fighting for control
Her gentle push on my stomach breaking our moment of passion
She turns away without a word
And I'm left with her scent on my hands and stale beer on my breath
Her words and actions always leave me confused, wondering where exactly we stand
Maybe I should get out before someone gets hurt
I could write novels about being with her but my thesis would topic would read "Why It Can't Be."
Though my interest has been held long enough to not break this stare...

Cruel Sparks

I want to make love to a French Princess on a yacht encrusted in diamonds
Our bodies slowing rock with the movement of the sea as I give into my wanderlust
Her hands slowly gliding down my side as we embrace each other
Each stolen kiss an unforeseen memory I had not intended on creating

I once heard a song about a man who found God in the bed of his mistress
But it turned out to just be the devil in cheap perfume who trapped the man forever
Is that what's happening here?
Is my life a dance with the devil while I think I'm finding God?
I have allowed myself false pleasure and have come crashing to the bottom of the ocean
I have experienced true joy in absolutely nothing at all, yet it was everything that really mattered
This hope of new life, of better life seems too good to be true
And I can't embrace it long to give up this fools errand I'm currently running
What must I do to break free from these destructive patterns of self-inflicted torment?
How can I truly be free?

High School Love: Destined for Failure

Wedding bells fill our young minds as we stroll these halls hand in hand
Completely unaware of the world outside and all the temptation we are about to face
Our minds so lost in young love that all life's distractions don't seem to matter
For at this moment nothing else matters but our first love

Young dear where do you think you'll be in ten years?
"In the arms of my high school sweetheart" she cried
But in a simple months time her first heartbreak will completely shatter her understanding of love
A terrible introduction to heartaches that she'll face in the years to come
This innocent crush, turned future husband to be, will set her body ablaze and watch it burn from the arms of his new flame
Shadows dance in her broken dreams; trampling the flowers she had planted just this spring
Yet a single rose still blooms in the garden of her heart
Carefully being protected for her real life one to come

Love, Heartache, and All the Inbetween

I am standing at the edge of this canyon we have called a relational encounter
Slowly moving further and further away from the ledge, hoping to avoid falling into the chasm
I once would have given myself over to the depths, leapt joyfully headfirst into the unknown
But experience has taught me to be guarded, not taking flight at my hearts slightest inkling
My heart, no more complete, isn't given to running into the abyss anymore
It's shattered remnants a cruel reminder of why careful planning should be taken
But there's a desire deep down to just give into the temptation to fly, hoping this time to be given wings
Hoping this time there's at least a parachute to keep my heart from dropping straight to the rocky floor where it has exploded brilliantly into tiny and tinier fragments with each unsuccessful relationship

My heart feels a pulling
Wants to yell "What the hell!" and run off this cliff while my mind clearly remembers the latest crash and burn attempt
To give one's own self fully and be held out on
To be tossed aside like yesterday's paper
Why would you want to risk the danger of more heartache?
But this desire...
To be known
To love and be loved
To find intimacy with another
The idea of first kisses and butterflies when holding hands for the first time
The thought of finding one to spend the rest of your life with
These thoughts are sent from the heart to the mind and all thoughts of impending destruction and failure flee

Grasping her hand you move, slowly at first but gaining speed with each step and eventually you reach the edge of the canyon...
And you jump

No One Dances Anymore

The rain falls and washes away this feeling of anxiety and being overwhelmed.
As each new drop splashes on my face I breathe deep and exhale, letting go of all that has consumed me
I am a broken man just trying to make it each day on my own, always forgetting that life wasn't meant to be lived alone.
All my life I've been searching for a love that's been there since birth
All this time spent trying to avoid dying a meaningless death I've been living a mediocre life
We seek out false loves, pleasure themes, and get rich quick schemes
We miss out on the most valuable, the most cherishable moments in our life
We eat so we may not perish but forget to be grateful for our food
We run from place to place trying to get there faster and faster, continually forgetting to stop and just breathe in this precious air

Laughter is contagious and shared between a group of friends over drinks brings joy and rest to the heart of the laugher
We are so caught up in purpose that we forget to enjoy life
No one goes dancing anymore, except at weddings
An act of letting loose and self expression that should be practiced more often than it is
A danced shared between two people, whether a slow dance where they hold each other tight or a swing where lovers throw one another across the room, is a bonding that is unlike many moments people share
Poetry has dried up. Shakespeare is dead.
Romance is a word that was never meant to be expressed by teenage vampires
Love isn't dead but our expressions are weak and dying
Relationships are on life support as the funds dry up and people forget how to just enjoy each other
What has become of our great love stories?
Where love often meant selflessness that kept two people from actually ending up together
What happened to no regrets and enjoying the life we've been given?
Maybe we weren't meant for greater things but for greater love?
Maybe our life spent chasing riches is really just an endeavor to live without fully loving
The greatest moments aren't about the trips and fancy meals but the people we get to spend them with
The greatest feelings of joy come from weddings and births and reconciliation
And our deepest, most painful moments of disappointment come at the end of ones life and we think about all that we didn't do or say and how we'll never be able to express our love to them again

God forgive us for the sins of omission
Forgive for all the times we ignored your voice
The simple hug we didn't give or the dinner bill we should have paid for our friends
Forgive us chasing the American dream and not chasing after your dreams for us
Forgive us our hardened hearts and our lack of love

Let us dance in the rain and sing at the top of our lungs
Let us turn a corner and live a life worthy of retelling
We are a passionate people with a fire unquenched
We are the writers of sonnets and plays, of songs and scripts

Let love consume us as we move forward into a new thought of living

Floating Away On Endless Seas

I'm not in love but I want to be
Floating away on endless seas
Carried along by the wind and tide
My heart rejoicing as if listening to angels sing
Spring rains come and refresh the earth
My life full of joy to give to one love

The Mess I Am

My life is like a going out of business sale
Take all the shit from the back room and throw it indiscriminately on the shelves
I have mismanaged all that God has given me
Used my life for corrupt living and murder
I've taken the lives of too many innocence and defamed the name that died for my life
Father who am I that you are mindful of me?
My heart is black and no matter my intention I still let you down
My love is feeble and will never be enough
Try and try again, I will still fail you
God, how can you use an evil man like me?
I need you to go ahead of me because without you I'd surely fall

When Trying Isn't Good Enough

Your movement is stagnant and ill conceived
You run in circles screaming for change
Your life is a desire for men to change
But you're still caught up in the same rat race
A word is just noise when no ears are listening
You scream at blank faces, men who see hypocrisy in you
Oh what a lack of action you have created
Words hold no meaning when the the body isn't in motion
Don't bore the masses with pretty speech
We don't give a damn about opinions
We want to see actions that lead to change

Girl In the White Dress

J.D. Salinger once said “If a girl looks swell when she meets you, who gives a damn if she's late? Nobody.” This poem is inspired by this statement.


It's well past 7:15 and not a mention of where she is
Woman, O Woman have you no respect for the time of others
My beer has gone flat and the waiter is getting impatient
Our reservations are holding on for dear life
This my dear, is not the shining first impression I was hoping for
Oh to be on time is a virtue few men are lucky to find in a woman

There's a stirring in the front of the room, a hushed whisper of excitement
The sound of chairs scraping the floor as the room turns toward the quite commotion
And there you are!

I can't even stand to greet you as you come towards my table
Just sit in awe of your beauty as you approach
Trying to wipe the dumb look off my face I stand but the words are just not there
She has caught me off guard and my lack of recovery is more then obvious
Yet she smiles and sits, almost amused at my stunned response to her
Instantly my anger fades and her inattentiveness to the time no longer cares
She has walked off a movie screen like Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca
And I'm the lucky bastard that gets to be her Humphrey Bogart

Marching to Her Own Drum

I want to see you dance beneath a waterfall
Watch as the music in your mind invades your steps
Across the room you spin, lost in your own thoughts
Unaware that the world is watching every step you take

"Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus" were the words that hung on your lips
A symphony of ideas exploding through the cosmos of your existence
All the while you search and struggle for an expression that means something more
A love that epitomizes that which you know is possible
Oh to be young in hopes of finding true love
Before the heartache and cynicism cloud your thoughts
This world is cruel to the dreamers and poets
But stay strong my dear for the love you desire

Destruction in Love

Let's run as fast as we can and leave this city behind
We'll burn these bridges as we go dancing through the night
I want to riot with you, cause destruction with you
I want change the world and make it a better place, but only if you're coming with me
Love has fallen from the sky, with a smile that would kill and a heart set to destroy
This is something like I've never experienced before
So unassuming when we first met, now you burn with a passion, igniting all you come in contact with

As The Flames Rise Higher, We Seek Forgiveness

It's like we're all waiting on the Pope to save us
Crawling out of broken homes, looking for a sign that things are getting better
The world around us is going up in flames
Hope is word used by political figureheads that holds no meaning
We're looking for false saviors and placing the blame on those that disagree
Compromise is an idea that will weaken the moral fiber of our country
So fight and point fingers and accomplish nothing
While those who put their trust in us to save the world starve to death
Is there a light at the end of this tunnel because we're all stumbling around like the blind
Leaderless we wander, waiting for one to come along and set us straight
We have placed our faith in humans that have failed us
God forgive us for not looking to you in our greatest time of need

Take Back Control

Words, Ugly words
You spit venom, inflicting lasting pain on the ears that hear
You think not once about what you say
But my soul lies black and broken from the tingling still on your lips
You are a poison flowing through my veins
Slowly choking out all that I ever thought was good
How dare you ruin my life?
What gives you the right to dictate who I am?
I am more then your hate filled tirades
And I refuse to let you tear me down again

Fallen Star Collection

You were like a falling star, gaining speed as you tumbled towards the ground
All the while thinking that there had got to me more to life then this
Was there anyone different enough to come along side and lift you up
Or was the world full of drifters, each passing day by day, never staying long enough to impact you in meaningful ways
And moments before impact, as you cringe in anticipation of the fall, you are captured into the arms of one who sets you gracefully upright.
Impact is missed for the first time in your life and you are left speechless
Arm in arm you two walk forward into a new life, a freedom you've never felt
With a life long love built on more then you thought was possible.

Is Grace Enough?

In a world gone mad we have placed our hope in false idols
We have begun the process of self destruction and hero worship
God is a concept that is far beyond the reaches of our simple minds
We believe in some almighty power but choose to live as if he weren't real
The structures of society have dictated we move along these streets like cattle
Marching to an end we try hard not to think about
We grieve the loss of those around us and place blame on a God we don't actually believe exists
All this pain and we struggle for answers that will never satisfy our unease
At the end of our rope with gun in hand we cry out to God one last time before we pull the trigger
And in that quiet moment before death we hear a voice saying all will be ok
We pause, our weight slowly lifting from the trigger, shock coming over mind
Tears slowly streak our face as we put the gun on the table and start to pray

A Modern Day Psalm

I'm going to share some secrets with you. I'm not a real thoughtful writer. Most poems come from a line stuck in my head and I'll write the rest, just flowing out of that one line. Sometimes I get a line stuck in my head while driving. I then pull out my phone and just start speaking the poem into my phone so I can capture whatever's going on in my head. This is a poem I wrote while driving home from Baltimore the other day. Below the poem is audio file of me writing the poem. You get the change to listen to me "write". Lucky you.

I am ten feet tall and bullet
I am smitten image of my father
I eat bullets and knives for breakfast
Davey Crockett, David, and me all have bear kills
But I am merely human
And I am weak and fragile
Broken in this childlike state
Searching, always searching for the one to come and rescue me
My infinite outward hardness a mere shell, a mere picture, a mere painting, a mere canvas of what I hope to be
Is there anyone who can rescue me?
Is there anyone who can save my soul?
God sometimes I feel like you're far away and I don't know where to go next
I know you're good but my humanity overtakes me
And I become... afraid
Break this wicked curse that has been put on me
Free me from the chains of evil that surround me
God help me find strength in you
And not myself

A Modern Day Psalm by MyBloodyPatton

When Life Gives You Lemons, Know That I'm There

Oh young girl, so beautiful, so innocent
Untainted by the world around you
You run through fields of flowers, care free
Come storming through the streets singing songs of victory
You are a shining light in the darkness that surrounds you
Hope is seen in you and your smile warms the hearts of the lost
How I long to spend my days with you
You are a blessing I never imagined coming to life
My darling dear, don't give up on that which you have started
This world that holds you down, can not contain the beauty you radiate
Every single moment is a precious gift from the Father
So hold on to hope and let life not overwhelm you
Your future is brighter then the stars in the sky
So keep a chin up and don't let the bastards win
This victory is yours
And I'm happy to be along for the ride

All or Nothing

Screaming, Always Screaming
Never saying anything
My lungs burn with hot vengeance
My words ring like hollow trees
These bones all broken
This heart smashed in fear
I have a tendency to overreact
And in this moment I'm throwing a fit
Tried of everything and living for nothing
I have given up all hope in this pathetic excuse for humanity
We are all living just to die
And dying just to live
Never making real progress
But constantly complaining

I am a product of miscommunication and poor handling
I am the judge of dozens and the judged by millions
My mind wanders back and worth between good and evil
Never wanting to choose a side by always leaning towards the evil in me
I am so disgusted with who I am on any given day
That the kind words shared get shredded in my brain
This is the only peace I can seem to find
With a loaded gun and a full glass of wine
My heart races to a beat far to fast to maintain
And my brain tries to constantly maintain a positive outlook
But life just seems pointless without you
And I know I'll never live up to the standard you require
So is there a point in fighting the good fight
When I know I will always come up short of my best
Is your grace really enough to cover my ultimate downfall
And is my best really going to be ok for you?

The Hopelessness of Living Without You

We are drowning in an ocean, unable to break the water's surface
Swimming for freedom, never able to take that next breath
We have trapped ourselves in glass coffins, to afraid of shards to break free
So we sit and stare as the world goes dark

Oh God break us free from the fear that entangles our minds
Help us in our fruitless endeavors to find life on our own
Because have failed so miserably at trying to live without you
And our lives will turn ruin on unless you intervene and help us

Words That Hurt

If words hold the keys to life and death then I am a murder at heart
I have slayed ten thousand men with the flick of my tongue
My desire is to show love but my black heart only knows cursing
I have been the ruin of innocent lives and the downfall of many
My aim is high but my course is shallow and I run aground far too often
How can I right this ship and steer myself into smoother waters?
What must I do to find a way to keep my words from causing harm?
Am I doomed to spit violent words at non-violent men?
Or is there a way to heal that which I have destroyed?
Can grace make a way to forgive the things I've said?

Heart Condition

Still my beating heart
From this frantic rapid pulsing to a calm slow rhythm
Because it feels like at any moment my heart will explode from my chest
And take flight from this small body

Steal my bleeding heart
From the black market where I've put it up for sale to the highest bidder
Take back that which is rightfully yours
That which I have corrupted

Fix my broken heart
Put together the pieces that I've let others tear like paper
Help fix that which I've been so reckless with
That which I don't know how to care for

Protect my restored heart
From the evil that my mind wants to commit
I can't do good on my own
And I need you watching out for this fragile heart

The Struggle

There is a part of me that wants to take this car into oncoming traffic
End this miserable existence, this constant failing you
To go from this earthy hell, to dwell in your eternal glory
Can one still get into heaven if they take their own life?

My faith that you hold the world in your hands is unstable
And my doubt will surely get the better of me from time to time
But your faithfulness is not in question here
Your goodness fills everything I do, yet my blind eyes don't always connect the dots
This world moves at a pace too fast for me to comprehend my surroundings
When all I want to do it be still and know that you're God, I find myself screaming at the wall

I have failed you today and I'll fail you again
Yet your mercies are new every morning... How do you do it?
If I were God I would have wiped myself from the face of the earth
My lack of obedience surely enough to put an end to this life
But day after day, failure after failure, You still forgive me
You still find a way love this wreck of a man
And I am grateful that you never give up
Because without you, I would have

All Of Your Children Are Addicts

I was listening to Hammock's Maybe They Will Sing For Us Tomorrow this morning and gave the track listing a once over. Decided to write a poem based off the title All Of Your Children Are Addicts. From there the first line of the poem, What hand has brought us out here to die, came to my head and I quickly typed it into my phone so I wouldn't forget it. The poem is about Israel and their continued disobedience to God.

The hand of God was so strongly with Israel for so many years and having experienced all the miracles and deliverance, they still complained and never fully trusted or gave themselves over to God. But whenever I find myself questioning there stupidity, I'm always quietly reminded that I do the same thing.


What hand has brought us here to die?
At least in my captivity there was solace in the known
But now we wander the desert, waiting to die
If not at the hand of our enemies then by hunger or thirst
We have been abandoned to our own wits
We have been left to fend for ourselves

So let us make gods in our image
And bow before that which we have made with our own hands
Our trust not in the deliverer but in what we have made
At least now we have a god to touch and see
We have learned nothing in all these years
So our cycle repeats and death is the known outcome

We, your so called people, will repent in due time
But for now we will continue with our false idols
We have trampled your holy temple
Turning it into a house for fornication and murder
Our hearts hardened to your gentle voice
Your spirit consistently hitting deaf ears
We a chosen people in need of savior
Foolishly trying to create our own

Sunsets End the Day, Not the World

There's a sun setting over an ocean somewhere
Where two walk hand in hand, unaware of all that surrounds them
He bends down to kiss her cheek and she smiles up at him
Both so lost in love with each other
Slowly they stop their walk and sit in the sand
Just listening to the waves crash, never letting go of the other's hand
A moment so perfect it will stay in their minds forever
Like a photograph on the mantle of their hearts

Resurrecting Lost Innocence

Oh God I'm searching for a way out
My life is in shambles and I'm in pain
My heart has been torn out so many times that it only faintly resembles healthy
I am caught in a web of lies and addiction
These stitches keep coming undone and I keep losing blood
My tears have quit coming and I'm afraid I'm forgetting how to feel
I have ruined what you have given me and don’t deserve to live
But God, if you're gracious as they say, then m begging for a second chance
I want to start life over starting right now
I want to redirect the course of my current path
My life has been mishandled and shipwrecked
And I want back the innocence stolen from me so long ago
Take me back to a place where I still believe in mystery
Mend my broken life and restore my broken heart
I know you're the only one who can

Life Is For Those Who Are Living

I want a running start as I jump off cliffs
Just so I can feel the wind on my face
I want an orchestra available at the every whim
With the ability to write the most beautiful sonatas
I want the wisdom of King Solomon
Penning words that will impact a lifetime
I want to give my love so freely
That those around me never feel left out or alone
I want to swim the farthest corners of the ocean
Splash around and play in the world's pool
I want to drive from one end of the country to other
Maybe run out of gas from time to time
I want to dream with endless imagination
Take this life by the balls and show it who's in charge

Desperate Men Pray Despreate Prayers

Uncertainty is the torturous path in which God has set before
Feeling alone and lost I cry out for a map that never comes
And my sad little faith, already wobbling from life, is at its tipping point
But I mange to not let go and grasp hold to the very one who gave me life
Am I but Israel? Meant to spend 40 years, wandering the dessert?
Am I to stand by and watch loves ones and opportunities fade into distant memories?
Oh God, you know the hidden and secret things of the heart
And you reveal your spirit to those in need, to those asking
I beg of you to re-spark a passion and vision in my heart
Please re-spark anything
I’m losing touch with any sense of happiness and destroying those closest to me
My praise has been far and my complaining ever present but I’m at a loss
I’m sorry for my discontentment and my lack of gratitude
For you have gotten me through every situation and been my constant provider
But I am an ungrateful, spoiled son. Unworthy of the name my parents gave me
Not man enough to admit when I’ve been wrong, and not cognitive enough to be grateful
My shame is over taking me, on the edge of losing everything, and this plea seems hollow
But I just don’t know what else to do
Help me Lord…

Anchors

I am sailing on an ocean of fallen angels
My ship is a den of thieves
I've been searching for life's true meaning
But the storms impede my way
The waves of temptation crash overboard
And I let myself be carried away
As I slowly fall to the ocean floor
My legs get entangled with the anchors chain
Death by drowning seems to await me
And I give myself over to the sea

But the anchor means the shipped has stop its journey
And somehow I find myself free from my oceanside grave
As I slowly swim to the surface
I find myself face to face with a new ship
The Captain committed to saving those thrown overboard
A hand grabs me by the arms and lifts me safely onboard
And I'm overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude.
My miscalculations and poor judgment led my crew to their death
And the hurricane that destroyed my ship, nearly ended me
But this second chance at life has renew my strength
And I’m ready to put aside my pride and join this Captain’s crew.


Back story:
I started this poem in September while I was at sea and in Mexico. The whole idea behind being trapped in the Anchor comes from where Jesus talks about tying a millstone around your neck and throwing yourself into the sea. The anchor has been a symbol of sin and those things that keep us from moving forward. The first half of the poem deals with life and sailing the seas of life and just living with and dying because of our sin. We can't move forward because our anchors are dragging on the bottom of the ocean and keeping us from moving forward.

The second half of the poem is inspired by two lines in two different songs from Norma Jean's Redeemer.

"I will not sleep while you are throwing anchors to a drowning generation." - Blueprints for Future Homes

"Captain, the ship is sinking. Have mercy." - The End of All Things Will Be Televised.

It's good to know God never gives up on us no matter how many times we fail and that he's always willing to save us when we're drowning.

The Useless Words of Bryan Patton

I am staring at a blank page with no words to write
And I'm screaming at the far wall, hoping I'm loud enough to penetrate this silence
My inspiration has failed me once again and I'm waiting on the light bulb to turn itself on
God give me some to profound to profess because the listener’s attention is fading and I need to change the world
I am a broken fragile man, just trying to make a name for himself
But all my screaming is in vain because the words make no sense and have no weight
The people will exit soon if I don't come up with something to capture the imagination and draw them closer to God
But I am lost in all the fear that's tangled itself around my tiny existence
As each person files through the door, all that's left of my shattered confidence is gone
And I'm left alone... Just me and God.
There's a screaming match where he won't say a word and I'll never win
As I yell through tears how he's been unfair and he quietly reassures me of his love
But I won't get it...

Misinformed Communication

Every word I say is like a poison arrow
Shot from my mouth and perfectly placed to pierce your heart
Try as I might I can't seem to come up with lovely speech
Instead I just inflict pain into your already broken world
So let me rant and rave at the bottom of the ocean
Each word drowning before it ever hit your ears
I might lose my breath and pass out
But at least I'd save you the pain of having to hear my voice

My Love Has Two Loves

My love has two loves and not one of them is I
A heart divided by future joys and present torment
I am a ship sailing in the distant
A treasure to be found one day in the future
My love is a hurricane tossing waves upon the shore
Her beautiful power missed as her destruction sweeps the land
Oh but to know her love and feel her kiss
To survive another day is to feel a sense of accomplishment
It doesn't matter how damage your ship has taken on
As long as she can still float, you're good to go
Angels will sing for those lost to the sea
The ones tossed overboard by her powerful storm
But to the Captain who still stands at the bow
His reward is much greater then gold
A sense of pride for having weathered the storm
For staying strong and laughing in adversities face
To him who's focus is set on God above
Comes the love he's always waited for.
But my love has two loves and not one of them is I
So I endure this hurricane and tie the anchor around leg
If I'm thrown overboard, at least I'm still attached to the ship

The Temptress

Always teasing and promising, never handing anything over
Oh to sleep in your sweet embrace for just one night
But you plunge me into endless hours of frightful thought
You dream all day of sweeter things
And wait to entangle my mind in songs of no consequence
I'd break ties with you but my tied eyes know no other lover
As I convince myself that this night I'll take what your offering
Temptress, Oh temptress
You have fought the sandman and won
Now if only you'd return to me that which I desire
A single night of silence, held deeply in your embrace