Has My Voice Yet Been Displaced? Maturity much too quickly descends into brutality, As time, that eternal contender, Finally lays claim to its natural advantage. All pretense, at last, being dropped, I come too late to appreciate the mismatch. To understand that the ceaseless ravages, Won’t – with any certainty – be reversed. Still, yet one more step in front of another, Even if each one proceeding is slower, More deliberate, than the one before. And, as the physical seeps... Read more

Do you see Him? You are surely blind. Do you hear Him? You are surely deaf. Do you feel Him? You are surely distant. Do you know Him? You are surely confused. Thomas Merton knew better than most: Your brightness is my darkness. I know nothing of You and, by myself, I cannot even imagine how to go about knowing You. If I imagine You, I am mistaken. If I understand You, I am deluded. If I am conscious and... Read more

For he commands his angels with regard to you, to guard you wherever you go. With their hands they shall support you, lest you strike your foot against a stone – Psalm 91:11-12 Chaos usurps the day, As fear stands at the ready Groping for yet another breach. Stirred, we push back. Again. Only this time, questioning Whether our will, our strength Can wholly resist The lure of surrender. Each assault has extracted its price. Leaving scars physical, And spirits... Read more

Today’s message of joy reminds that it’s all too easy to miss its deepest meaning. Spring: Casting eyes about me For the very first time. What startling images surround. Bright lights and quick movements. Yet with sounds both familiar and soothing Even when accompanied by Faces distorted and bent Charged only with evoking Unrestrained glee . . . Mission accomplished. Here, now, is pure joy! Summer: Pedaling faster, ever more confidently. A little extra freedom Conquered with every fresh mile. Enhanced... Read more

By Rick Anderson Smooth dissonant notes, discordant silences, resonant wailing echoes, angry bats, resonating with the crowd, crowd pleasing chants, the Don’s trumpet, spit oozes a policy to choke on. The title of his showing up hides, the awkward euphony of his vocal, chords and visual exclamation marks, the way presidential, points to the Don’s cacophonous, diminished major chords, he plays the scales of the people. The disambiguation of the electorate. Earsplitting within an ear-shot, of separating the Don separates... Read more

Save me, God, for the waters have reached my neck. I have sunk into the mire of the deep, where there is no foothold. I have gone down to the watery depths; the flood overwhelms me – Psalm 69 As we, as a nation, become more and more enmeshed in all that now gathers so violently around us, as we tilt our heads upwards and ask: Where Are You?, perhaps we shouldn’t be all that surprised to find that same question turned back towards... Read more

Fear is powerful. It is unremitting. It is fierce. It is real. Fear disrupts and disables. While a few of our most compelling nightmares may eventually find their way to us, most never do. “I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened” – Mark Twain As a parent, I can’t imagine a day without some degree of it. Concern for their safety, anxiety about their future. Of course, I cling most desperately to these... Read more

This Advent, This New Beginning, Don’t Be Afraid To Look Around And See The Very One For Whom You Are Waiting Right In Front Of You. Does the sight of me make you uncomfortable? Do I remind you of something, Or perhaps, someone, That you’d rather not bring to mind? Does my very presence make you realize That our lives are dicey, sometimes. Or that you and I could easily trade places, At a moment’s notice, Or maybe, with no... Read more

Surely we’ve lost control. At least that’s how it feels. College campuses aflame with pubescent rage, Demanding fairy-tale endings and fictive safe harbors When hell itself has all but been loosed upon us. Narcissistic ramblings supplant political discourse, Opinions scrutinized wholly by emotional self-truths. What once was solid, and concrete, and firm Now feels fluid, and abstract, and yielding. Even among those who profess charity, and mercy, and love Anger and bitter obsession seem most often to prevail. I tire.... Read more

As darkness consumes the evening, And shadows enter their final throes, My voice has betrayed me – Or is it that you no longer hear it? I’ve chased answers, but gathered only more questions. If there were lessons to be learned, They’ve all been wasted. Yes, our wills have clashed, And each time I declared victory. Then surrounded myself with rotting treasures, Convinced that I’d won. But as I stand here now, Shaken by my brokenness, Paralyzed by my fears,... Read more