Fortress

08:11 12 April in Rhyme
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An up and coming
gun for hire
found a forest
in a fire
a resting place
with smoky sides
where unexpected
worlds collide

the soldier stood
with frowning mind
this place was of
the strangest kind
how could these trees
stand proud but still
the fire fumed
equipped to kill?

and then
it dawned
like light on day:
perhaps there is
a different way
where feuding forces can exist
without that final fatal twist

this story
is a rumour
its principles ain’t new
on earth is found
despite all odds
a rest that’s tried and true.

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Requiem

07:24 07 February in Rhyme
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The intolerable anguish
of recent betrayal
kissed your face
with a poisoned veil
biting skin
drawing blood
calling forth a martyrs flood

an excessive collection
of thorny lies
chained your laugh
to sobs and sighs
awkward dialect
awful taste
rendering all words to waste

but then
behold
when life seemed lost
and darkness took you in
beneath the scarry surface God
was grafting stronger skin
then with the gifts of time and truth
your dawn arrived intact
His light restored one hundred fold
what you believed you lacked.

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Cause and effect

19:57 01 February in Rhyme
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Imagine for a moment
imagine if you can
a normal
plain
polite
and sane
example of a man

now roll him in a blanket
and put him in a box
with cotton wool
bubble wrap
and seven solid locks

the odds are, I’d say, certain
the odds are, I’d say, high
that given time
his madness would
rocket to the sky

my point is short and simple
this story serves to show
that given grievous circumstance
insanity will grow.

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Currency

20:55 06 January in Rhyme
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There’s a five rand store
inside your mind
where thrills are cheap
and every kind
of gimmick
toy
and plastic thing
presents itself
with glitter wings

Resistance to commitment
reluctance to endure
embracing instant everything
and owning the obscure

There’s a five rand trail
that paves the way
from what you think
to what you say
little shiny impulse disks
ruthless leaps
unmeasured risks

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The gravity of man

12:12 16 December in Weeskinders
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We’re all acquainted with the basic principles of gravity. What goes up, must, and will come down. Anchored to earth by an unseen magnet, forcing our feet downwards on a daily basis.  We share dreams of escape, delighting in the ever-popular fantasy of flight. Imagine! Soaring effortlessly through the sky without the constraint of earth bound efforts.

Lately, a different kind of gravity has grabbed my attention.  A pulling power in the heart of man, in the heart of Mia, constantly forcing me in one direction. Downwards. The inexplicable tendency to hurt ourselves, to hurt others, and to react selfishly and destructively.

Not because we choose to, or even want to, but in the weirdest of ways – we continually tend to. Gravitating towards bad choices, bad emotions, and even bad people, who in turn are only slaves to their own gauntlets of gravity. Jesus confirms this force in Mark 7: “ For from within, out of the heart of men proceed the evil thoughts, wickedness, pride, foolishness…”

When we’re disappointed, we become cynical. When tired, we’re irritated.  We feel threatened and we lash out. We’re hurt and we self-destruct. Every time. Unless, by some miracle, defying our very own laws of gravity – we access the sweet spot of inward aero dynamics. A carefully crafted vehicle allowing us to place our earth-drawn bodies and natures on air-bound seats. A structure and system keeping us up, despite our inbuilt nature to be dragged down.

Luckily for us, and thankfully for Mia, Jesus has a way of defying the odds. Making a way where there seems to be none.  I don’t have to follow my earth-bound feet, heart or nature. I can fly! Or, more correctly – I know someone Who can, and He’s proven Himself very willing to take me along.

So these days, when I recognize the tugging inside myself and others towards bad choices, I choose to remember that there’s an alternative. A law and force strong enough to defy the one committed towards dragging me down. Lately I’m not as prone to submit to Newton’s nagging, and I’m re-discovering my taste for airborne adventures.

Of this old truth I am fully persuaded: the gravity inside me has the intention and ability to destroy me and to destroy others. But, despite this pulling power there’s a higher law, opposing the first. Allowing me to take flight in so many ways.  To say no, to forgive, to sacrifice for others, to be good to myself, to try again, to hope.

Placing my feeble feet and frame in the hands of the One who operate in freedom’s name.

“Because through Jesus Christ, the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death. “ (Rom 8) Eureka! Buckle up Buttercups, this is one sweet ride.

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