Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep - From Cradle To The Grave

I don't often give away the backstory for my writing but I am. So I was in the shower, thinking about a tattoo idea I have. I want to do a child kneeling in prayer while held in a pair of hands on my calf. And Then I thought it would be great to do an old man praying in a pair of hands on my other calfs. And then I was inspired to write this.


"A little child lays his head on the pillow
Offering a simple prayer to God above
Thankful for mommy and daddy
And to keep the monsters out of his head
Faith so innocent, so pure
A picture that one wishes they could capture forever
Knowing all the while that age will bring the weight of the world
And this simple faith will be push, tested, and in some cases destroyed
The lessons learned from simple bedtime prayers will travel a lifetime
Carrying us through our darkest hours and disappointments

A man kneels at the side of his bed in tears
The job he's placed his security in is gone and his marriage is headed in the same direction
He cries to God for some sign, for some peace
Life has not turned out how he'd imagine as a kid
The world has not been kind and life doesn't seem worth living
A cry for peace, for understanding for anything echoes off the ceiling
Has God heard the words he's screamed night in and out
Or have the words gotten chopped by the fan, never making it out of the room?
But a still small voice touches his heart
"Have no fear my son. I've got it under control."

An old man sits up his deathbed
Twilight has come and his family is gathered around him
He bows his head and offers a silent prayer
Thanking God for a blessed life
Gathering his family around him, he kisses them one last time
Ready to go meet the Father"

In the Midst Of...

We are all just broken people leading each other off the cliffs of madness
Searching for a hint of gladness
We dance like the crazed generation they proclaim us to be
We have hope in the unseen
Belief in a God who fixes our inner most beings
We get lost trying to make our own way
Stuck in the forest of life without anyone to guide us along these darkened tree lined paths
We have searched from sea to sea only to discover that God was before us all along and our searching was in vain
We dream through restless sleep as our spirit cries for more of you
Please don't withhold your Spirit from us as we desire to dig deeper into you
Our ship has found it's captain and You've steered us back on course
Guide us through the storms and the droughts as we navigate this world by Your word
Our merciful Father, we who are weary come to you
Let this desperate need for you not be vanquished

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