The Absurdity of Hope
The Black Knight
Where the height's right with a nose out of place
Or when the eyes aren't navy blue
But the hair is that autumn chocolate hue
And though my mind tells me it's absurd
Hope is a truly funny word
Without limits, without bounds
That leads my eyes to optimistically look round
Waiting with baited breath
Wondering when I'll see you next
In a week? A month? A year?
Time is a gift for those we hold dear
Time changes hearts and minds
Make the impossible merely hard to find
Breaking down walls in the heart
Letting love brighten the dark
And so I'll keep looking round
Hoping to hear the sweetest sound
Your voice saying "Hi"
And never leaving, no goodbyes
Faithful, Silent
The Black Knight
And fog is all I see.
Mountains, plains hidden from view
As the world takes a cloudy hue.
Each step is revealed in time
As though the movements are not mine.
The path before leads ever on
While the path behind is all but gone.
I know each place from before,
A déjà vu forever more.
So I trudge forever on,
Constant though the sun is gone,
Steady through the thickening mist,
There’s a quiet, bashful bliss.
Afraid to look me in the eye
My companion seems a little shy.
But beggars daren’t complain
When a friend knows their name
And walks beside them through the haze -
Faithful, silent day by day.
A noiseless word here and there
As the fog flees the air,
“Look, look up and see!
The mountain’s stony majesty,
The river’s swatch through the golden sea.
Listen, incline your ear!
The trees clapping for the deer,
The squirrel’s chatter drawing near.”
The world around me springs to life
As the smog is cut by a knife.
The sunlight breaking through
Bringing wonders to my view.
Though the fog has come and gone
And the road travels ever on
I no longer dread the grey
Knowing it gives way to brightest day
Golden Fog
The Black Knight
Growing brighter by the second
The night behind gets dimmer
And the road before me beckons
I step out tenderly
Afraid of what lies ahead
My home stands behind me
A world filled with dread
I leave behind a lifetime
Of darkness and ire
Of agony and strife
Of torment and fire
The future is veiled
Shrouded in mystery
But faith will travail
And courage strengthens me
The path stretches out
Bathed in golden haze
My resolve is sturdy, stout
To carry me through the maze
Hope
The Black Knight
Standing still with the world spinning round
Screaming without sound
I’m awake and dreaming
But time is always moving, running, fleeing
Future turns present and present, past
What happens never lasts
Alone in a sea of people
Heart pounding, knees knocking, weak, and feeble
Confusion on the left and chaos on the right
One whispering for flight
The other to fight
No sun shines over my ever-thickening night
As the world is ever spinning, ever turning
Gracefully, frantically whirling
Suddenly a star
Appearing away, distant, faint, and far
It grows ever brighter, always stronger
Untouched by chaos’ hunger
Dauntless in confusion’s face
The star approaches, never slowing its relentless pace
The black is pushed aside, my night fades away
Giving ground to brilliant day
Confusion rising flees
Chaos retreats, leaving this, his shelter of me
Falling to my knees I turned and saw
Filled with wonderful awe
Hope’s day had dawned
And the last clinging traces of darkest night gone.
In That Moment
The Black Knight
On a winter’s day, dreary and glum
A moment when everything is crystal clear
And you know what you’ve been afraid to hear
It’s like falling in love
A hug from up above
Like the taste of your first kiss
The hole in your heart for those you miss
It comes so quietly
Gently sitting next to me
An angel just to my right
Watching o’er me through the night
Your heart overflows with peace
And you fall softly to your knees
Tears stream down your face
Happy, sad, serene in this place
You see everything everyone’s been through
As they cared, loved, prayed over you
And though the world may never change
Though you’ll never again reclaim your name
In that moment when faith and fear collide
You’ll wake to find that you’re alive
A Jewel Sparkling Bright
The Black Knight
A jewel sparkling bright
All my longings held
In its diamond spell
It tells of lonely nights
Of sitting neath city lights
Watching for the stars to shine
Missing what was never mine
It speaks of beating hearts
Candles flickering before the dark
Fighting back the bitterness
Letting grace fill its emptiness
It whispers of joyous songs
Before our time was done and gone
When I held your gaze and watched your eyes
And competed for the grandest prize
It sings of a chance for grace
As more tears streaked my face
When words ceased to be gifts
Cutting deep, sharp, and swift
It narrates a hope buried inside
Where unconditional love tends to hide
Where sacrifice finds its name
And humbleness eclipses fame
It relates a future dim and bleak
Where pride refuses to let others speak
Where choices are dictated out of fear
And loving hearts are wasted souvenirs
It describes a peace I've always known
Kneeling before the Father's throne
Where mission and action collide
And light a fire deep inside
And as the gem rolls down my cheek
There are no words for me to speak
All is said through my tears
My greatest hopes and darkest fears
Long Suffering
The Black Knight
As the path led on
The road wound upward
As steep as it is long
My pack weighs upon my shoulders
A necessary load
My boots are wearing thin
Splitting at the toes
I know not where this leads
Nor when the ending will come
I’m frightened that it will never finish
Excited that I’ll never be done
Though journey's rough
And happiness appears dim
There’s a song inside my heart
And Joy growing within
So though the burden’s heavy
My heart is set above
I’ll carry on this road
Strengthened by His love.
Nameless City
The Black Knight
Atop the mountain of human pride
I stand up all alone
Spreading out ‘neath my judging eye
Is the city I call home
Flawed and rotting at its core
The un-named fill the streets
Smog reaches toward the distant shore
Smelling of sulfur and rotting meat.
As I cast down my verdict
Thunderclouds obscure the sky
I raise my fist from my pulpit
While the rain turns day to night.
My self righteous cries
Are drowned out from above
Instead of my vengeful lies
The thunder speaks of love.
So my rage turned toward the clouds
As the rain came pouring down
Blame defined my every shout
When the lighting hit the ground.
Half dazed, muddled and confused
I lay there watching stupefied
From the heavens lightning oozed
Tearing across the darkened sky
I stayed till the storm abated
Then rose with shaking knees
I hung my head humiliated
And sniffling whiffed the breeze.
The smog was gone and in its place
The fragrance of the rain
A butterfly kissed my face
As the heavens whispered my name.
Never Worn
The Black Knight
A place I’ve never been
But somehow it feels like home
Like finding my way again
There is no cabin here
No place to lay my head
The only thing for miles near
A wooden sign pointing me ahead
The mountain air is thin
And the trail goes winding on
My journey begins again
Before the light is gone
I’ll leave the place I’ve always known
The place where I was born
And set out to find my home
On the trail I’ve never worn
Noonday Sun
The Black Knight
A blood that doesn’t flow under our skin
A friendship that binds us
And a kindred spirit to blind us
The respect of two champions
Understanding the thrill of the gun
Two bodies forged in sweat and tears
Two hearts battling the same fears
Four feet pound as one
Four eyes blink in noonday sun
A score of fingers clenching fast
Grasping for what truly lasts
Though the moment comes and goes
Though emotions ebb and flow
There’s a friend closer than a brother
A bond forged by two who’ve suffered
Who’ve failed together side by side
Who’ve looked each other eye to eye
Who know the joy of vict’ry won
Standing ‘neath the noonday sun
The laud of crowds their lowest goal
The praise of others takes its toll
Building pride and chipping grit
Oaths tried in acid spit
Yet the promise keeps holding on
Never, always too far gone
A connection of piety
Binds another’s heart to me
Two warriors forged as one
In the heat of the noonday sun
Of Who We Are
The Black Knight
I’d write of bits and fields
Of numbers and their operations
Of lighting, volts, and yields
If we wrote of what we sense
My words would be sitting in a chair
With pen in hand
Listening to the noisy air
If we wrote of what we dream
I’d pen of death and love
Of catastrophe and serenity
Of happiness from above
If we wrote of what we do
My writings would compile
My words would write themselves
And my poems, they would smile
If we wrote of what we feel
I’d journal of confusion
Of anger and remorse
Of sorrow and jubilation
Promises
The Black Knight
And held her there
As her heartbeat echoed
The question in the air
She looked up at me
With those eyes of freckled blue
In that moment crystal clear
I said “This I promise you.”
How was I to know
What would happen down the road?
Looking back I couldn’t see
What would happen right in front of me
In my ignorance I gave
A piece of my heart away
In my folly I have found
The world keeps spinning round
And, confused, looks at me
A fool to be pitied
If only I could show the world
Or better yet that beautiful girl
The beauty in the dagger
The honor in the danger
The final scene has been set
A promise made is a promise kept
Words must be more than empty lies
Half-truths, falsehoods, or alibis
And though my folly I lament
A promise fulfilled is a life well spent.
Selfless (Far Beyond My Reach)
The Black Knight
The crash of glinted waves resounds
Trembling this sandy beach
No humanity for miles around
I’m far beyond my reach.
Sunlight dances on the rippling water
A near perfect reflection of a sunset sky
Inviting me to take a few steps farther
And gaze upon my reflection from on high.
Ego on one side whispers,
“You’re entitled.”
Selfishness seems to snicker,
Devils dancing in his smile.
But on the other side I hear
A still quiet voice
Generosity breathes in my ear,
“You don’t have to. Make the choice.”
I’m caught and torn with indecision
As the battle rages in my head
Striving for the right decision
Mulling over what each have said
And while I stood there deciding
The sun sunk further down
I put an end to my abiding
And on the beach turned around,
Greeted by trees’ clapping hands
For my decision upon the sand
It took reflections for me to see
There’s more to life than just me.
Steadfast
The Black Knight
A passing wind in paradise
The rustling of a bird in flight
Whispers in the waving fields
Sunlight off a golden shield
A laughing stream
Everything as if a dream
Clapping leaves casting shade
Cool in the warm summer glade
Shades of green and blue
Tinting this gentle hue
A fawn and graceful doe
Deep dark earth below
A gentle voice tickles my ear
Bidding me to stay here
Anchored in reality
This, my retreat, be.
Tawny Ramblings
The Black Knight
Seeking something wise, something sage
A blinking cursor in a sea of white
Fingers frozen before they type
Where are the words to express this feeling?
The thoughts to describe my heart's reeling?
It's a roller coaster of hope and joy
An itch that tickles, not annoys
Like speechlessness before beauty manifest
A thunder coming from within my chest
My vision swims through sight and sound
Smelling the ocean flowers all around
Like a breeze on a summer's day
This feeling is more than words can say
I'm sitting here anticipating
My smile betrays my expectant waiting
Eyes searching past the door
Ears peeled for footsteps on the floor
And as my page starts to fill
My pen keeps dancing still
Fingers flying across the keys
Words flowing out of me
But no poem can contain
The wonder hidden midst your name
The awe sparkling in your eyes
Or the sorrow when we say goodbye
So I'll end my rhyming ramblings
Exchanging written for verbal shamblings
Truth
The Black Knight
Fingers toward heaven reach
Scales rising from a white beach
Deadly in their rocky splendor
To master: a dangerous endeavor
A brilliant white so blinding
Surrounded by sheer black foreboding
Climbing up miles upon miles sheer
So close, so far, so distant, so near.
Slowly, shakily I leave the ground
Eerily silent, still. Nothing makes a sound
Quickly my ascent begins
Ever closer, still further from the end
Razor blades cut my hands
Blood falling, ever falling to the sand
Strangely these stripes of crimson cleanse
Another’s blood, my stains do mend
Stranded on this pure white rock
The struggle growing, the pain never stops
A ledge, a recess from the hardship
Reaching, pulling I grasp the lip
Screaming as my white hand still bleeds
Quiet from the journey my only need
Agonizingly I lay my body down
Only by the wind to be whipped around
In desperate fear of falling plights
My hands hold to a crack in the white
And save, from utter end, my quest
But before I am able to resume my rest
From the crimson stain I see
Emerging from the rock a pure lily
Beauty in this brutal harshness grows
Distinct - though both are white as snow.
