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