Westward Road, or "How I Found Grace"

I've decided (maybe) to put more of my creative writing on here and rant less. This was basically a stream of consciousness thrown onto paper with some minor editing afterward. Take it as you may.

1.12.05 12:16pm

In these days of war and peace
I become reconciliation
Running through valleys
Between chains and liberation
And dear if you ever
See my tired face again
Know we had some damn good times
But I finally grew into a man
Once this mountain called me
No friend or foe could bid me stay
Along heavenward trails
I understood the meaning of grace
If by chance you meet me
Along some westward road
Will you pass by or greet me?
With a slap or with a smile?
I can't help but carry onward
From this city beside our creek
I sought long for a perfect love
Yet we never find the things we seek
And if this life gets you weary
Crying out to leave it soon
Remember my philosophy
About lazy afternoons,
If we live for the deadlines
And someone else’s expectations
We'll lose sight of what matters
And become our own rejection
Last night I woke suddenly
To a sound above my head
Was it the sound of ancient laughter?
Did she overcome her dread?
If you ever see the moonlight
Cascade through cypress trees
Will you sleep naked in the glade,
Or will you fear being free?
When the woods around us burned
I thought it was the end
But the stream became our savior
In ways we'll never comprehend
And when mother left us waiting
She should've know we'd break the vase
All children work in mischief
While adults just run the race
I thought my time here was over
If not I'll continue on
Until my guitar returns to earth
And I unlearn her favorite song
Losing track within the railcar
We fell into a daze
While the world around us hastened
Casting others into its maze
Son, will you be my Judas,
Or will you set me free?
Will you desert me with your dry lips,
Or will you let me be?
One day we'll find answers
Along some cragged mountaintop
Where we escaped from the nonsense
And unearthed our worth and stock
All great things have been said before
Still I’ve always felt it’s true
Whatever’s reaped from the soul
Is the truth that makes you new

Some inspired reflections...

Inspired by Rumi and the Tao Teh Ching...


A lover of the soul knows the questions the lover of only flesh may never see.

What drives my neighbor to grow?
Why does my sister fear?
Why do we ignore the Great Wisdom residing in each of us and instead cherish disunity?
What does my beloved see in me?

One day all questions will come to pass.
Is that day today?

Hope for the future but live for the moment.

Why is humankind scared to die?
Why is its greater fear living?

The Great Commission is truly to love, not to convert.
If only we could see that truth, then peace would thrive.

A lover of the soul asks questions and seeks, yet the Great Paradox accepted is this:
If there is Truth, why are there no answers to my inquiries?

So the soul-minded meditates, prays, and prostrates all life-practices before the Great Unknown.
This mystery penetrates the heart of all who dare to love.
It satisfies.
It terrorizes.
It captivates.
It frees.
It is all things in one and fills the nothing-void within us all.

One day we will see.
But today, let us live each moment attentively and let us do so with love.

1/2/06 1:37am (revised 1/3/05 6:19p)