10. Breathe Again

only silence reigns
til urgency compels him
we exhale, then gasp


[guest post by Nathan!]

9. Drive

breathless, speeding on

suddenly, he takes the wheel

(she is in labor)

8. Innocence

Sometimes we wish for it to go
Sometimes we wish it'd come.
It's never fully there inside,
But there was always some.
Sometimes it slowly melts away
Its manner long and drawn
Sometimes, abrupt, it vanishes
And in one breath is gone.
We find we cannot hold it fast
It cannot help but flee

Yet innocence dwelt in the Son
Who died in place of me.

7. Heaven

he ran away, long ago
but now he’s coming back
trudging up the dusty road
thoughts chasing themselves
around
and
around
as he tries to think of what to say

Father--
I am sorry?
no, that won’t work.
Father--
I’ve sinned against you?
better.
but still not quite right.
Father--

he realizes,
his sin was greater than he thought
not just against his father
but first
foremost

against heaven.

Father--
I have sinned against heaven
and before you
I am no longer worthy
to be called your son
Treat me as one of your...
hired servants.

satisfied, he rehearses it
perfects it
(or so he thinks)
and trudges onward.

6. Break Away

he ran away, long ago
told his father
he wished he was dead
took his inheritance
everything he had
and journeyed far

now he asks himself
why?

wasn’t it better back there?

so now he rises from the mud
pushes through the grunting hogs
tells the farmer,
I’m going home.

He runs homeward,
unsure of what will be his welcome
but knowing anything
even being a servant
in his father’s house
is better than the pigsty.

5. Seeking Solace

he ran away, long ago
told his father
he wished he was dead
took his inheritance
everything he had
and journeyed far

he looked for pleasure
squandered recklessly
whirled from
party to party
was drunk on more than wine

but it couldn’t last forever

his money was gone.
a famine came.
suddenly, he didn’t know what to do.

he wallowed in mud and shame,
seeking to forget
to find solace in mindless drudgery

nothing satisfied,
not even the pods the pigs ate.

4. Dark

They creep
Crawl
open eyes that never saw
To blink,
Once,
Twice,
then to close them again.
They wail
in silence
open mouths that never spoke
To taste,
Nothing.
Their bodies
full of slime
Mold

They cannot be saved
not brought from their darkness

For light will only kill.