Wednesday, May 05, 2021

 her 33rd anniversary was yesterday

i spent most of the day lamenting that i was the only one who remembered

then i finally broke silence and posted about it on fb 

and found out one other person did too

that was welcome company

no mention, though, from the one who should have

instead we had a pretty huge argument before bed

im so tired

and alone 

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

some days a meme asks a harmless question

what did your parents make you eat 

that you still don't eat now? 

soap, my friend said

and I wondered what 

had issued forth

from his mouth 

to cause that lesson


Then I thought

my dad's penis

and it got dead silent inside

as i recalled the taste of urine

put it back in your mouth, he said

i don't want to, i protested

embarrassed, ashamed 

then don't ask your sister to do it

his daughter, he didn't say

but that's when i should've known i'm not his son


i hadn't known what blow me meant

and then i still didn't


some days crashing come the memories 

smashing me to pieces

trashing my happy facade


way worse was yet to come

after he ate the bullet

and the next one took me under his wing


some days I think it'd've been better

if my single mom 

hadn't been pro-life


Wednesday, February 03, 2021

Thoughts in the middle of the night on mom's birthday

Sometimes--often lately--I wonder how I can continue to believe what I have long professed. If the Church is really guided by a Holy Spirit that reveals and helps us discern the Way, the Truth, the Life, how can we be so divided in our judgment of the former President? It isn't just that the man has never made a declaration of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and is unable to quote a favorite passage of Scripture. That I know of, he has never claimed to be a Christian, so I would be a fool to criticize him for not being what he has never claimed. The terrible way that he treats and speaks of other people is all it takes to see that the inspired love of God for all His people is not in him. And yet so many allegedly Spirit-filled people have fallen all over themselves to undermine their witness of Jesus Christ to declare this man's greatness. 

I understand that the Spirit works through us collectively, and that our discernment is primarily about things of God, not of the world. And I also understand that the Spirit often works through those who are not open to him, as well. (See Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, et al.)

Then a moment of realization in the middle of the night helps me to hope again.

I've found myself struggling with how to respond to someone who is indebted to us. We were promised partial repayment right away and payment in full last month. All we've heard is crickets. As a result, I've felt taken advantage of and neglected in our relationship. And in the middle of the night when I was struggling to sleep and thinking of this, I thought of my mom on her birthday and the debt she forgave me. I had to borrow money from her twice, a pretty sizable amount the second time. (About what we're owed.) And in a moment I was reminded of Matthew 18: 21-35, which I have frequently featured in my talk to lay the groundwork for the gift of forgiveness that God shares with us and helps us to share with others. I am not speaking of the forgiveness of our wrongdoing, but the gift of forgiving others that God wants to give us. He doesn't want us bound by unforgiveness.

And it occurred to me that here is living Scripture coming back to me in a parable that describes circumstances that directly apply to me, and I have a decision to make: I can be a good, forgiving, merciful person, or I can be an ungrateful, unforgiving wretch. And no matter how I dress up the latter in my rationale, I will be accountable for how I respond.