The Son Will Rise

I’ve never enjoyed the heat of day, and tried to avoid the light,

It was easier to take what I wanted, in the dead of night,

I slept through the dawning, I hated the bright sunrise,

Night’s cloak of darkness was safer, to use my deceit and lies,

Like the others, my hopes were on a ferocious king,

If the Romans were driven out, prosperity it would bring,

Then the world would notice, and make up for years of loss,

But now I’ve had time to think, while I’m hanging on a cross,

I was curious about the stories I’d heard,

So I followed this man who taught the word,

I joined a group who was eager to hear,

He spoke boldly about God, his father, without any fear,

But there was more to learn, to our surprise,

He performed miracles right before our eyes,

At a wedding in Cana, Jesus was asked to provide more wine,

Normally it took money and lots of time,

I thought that was a strange request,

But he obliged his mother after a slight protest,

I watched the servants filling six waterpots,

And saw the ruler’s expression at what they brought,

Jesus was a man of action when there was a need,

He drove the merchants from the temple when he saw their greed,

The Jews were angry and wanted to know why,

“This is my father’s house,” was his angry reply,

During this time it seemed the world had gone mad,

People were hoping for a leader, someone strong and bad,

Jesus was popular among the people and drew great crowds,

But he talked of peace and heaven, and warned of being proud,

John the Baptist declared that Jesus was the one,

Who was sent by the Father, to die as his son,

I was seeing many miracles, yet I dared not believe,

For the crimes I had committed, great punishment I should receive,

I didn’t always follow Jesus, sometimes I stayed in town,

I could steal the most when Jesus wasn’t around,

Because I usually stole at night, I rarely saw the sun,

It was not until people began to wake, that my work was done,

I didn’t agree with Judas that Jesus should be turned in,

Despite my disbelief he was the Christ, I considered him my friend,

I was careless and got caught, stealing during the day,

Thrown into prison and left waiting, while Jesus was away,

There was news of the arrival of a new-found king,

It had to be Jesus, for I heard the hosannas ring,

He would overcome the Romans, with God at his side,

I wish I could have seen him then, but I was locked inside,

“Don’t worry,” said another thief, who was there with me,

“According to Judas, Jesus will hang for all to see,”

“That can’t be true, he’s done no wrong,” I said in dismay,

“We deserve what we got, we know crime doesn’t pay,”

In my dreams I saw my life, and I didn’t like what I could see,

I would taste the bitter cup of death, hanging on a tree,

I was nailed to a cross, along with the other thief,

 Another cross went up, I could feel the sorrow and grief,

I believe that Jesus was born to bring truth and grace,

Barabbas should have died, but Jesus took his place,

“Jesus, I deserve to die for the things I have done,

Lord, remember me when your kingdom comes,”

Tomorrow is another day, but I won’t see the rising sun,

I expect before the break of day, my life will be done,

Before I became a witness to the light,

I was a common thief who stole in the night,

At that time I didn’t understand the reason why,

An innocent man was condemned to die,

I’ve always known I’d die someday in terrible agony,

But I believe the Son will rise, in spite of you and me.

  

A Man's Home Is His Castle

From the ramparts I stood searching,

A majestic wonderland just outside,

The brightness of the snow blinding,

Diamonds sparkling on every side,

A wealth of beauty on display,

Three deer have crossed my Sherwood,

Cardinals perched on empty tray,

Not far from where I motionless stood,

Upset that seed was gone, boldly had their say,

A man’s home is his castle it is true,

But without a queen to stoke love’s fire,

His heart becomes frozen through and through,

Now the wilderness and all I command,

Stand stark against the evening sky,

Soon darkness will sweep across the land,

And all I can do is wait and sigh,

She was strong willed and independent,

Not willing to quietly listen and obey,

Outspoken, she followed her own bent,

Disruptive in each and every way,

And yet, It was as if the world shook,

When she was there to play her part,

With each delicate step she took,

It was clear she loved with all her heart,

But to let her be so independent was absurd,

She was not what I expected her to be,

I sent her away with terrible kingly words,

But now I see, she was meant for me,

I’ve waited through the coldness of night,

I’ve climbed to the top of this tower of ice,

Where I can catch the first sight,

Trusting she learned of my new decree,

Hoping she’ll forgive, and it will suffice,

A king on my knees, willing to plea,

Hoping she’ll forgive and return to me.

The Fairy Queen and Me

The Fairy Queen and Me

Upon my steed I stared at the sea,

Watching the waves pound mercilessly,

While the wind hurled sea drops with glee,

I shook my fist and yelled, “You can’t conquer me!”

The salt was on my beard, my eyes, my face,

I was ready to leave this forlorn place,

When a slight movement caught my eye,

And there she was, the fairy queen,

Perched on a jagged rock between earth and sky,

She didn’t have to turn and look,

To know that I was there,

For at that moment heaven shook,

When she was captured by my stare,

Slowly she shifted and raised one arm,

Pointing to the sea,

“I come here often, my lord,

For the ocean’s power refreshes, wouldn’t you agree?”

Those words said, she looked at me,

And her eyes locked with mine,

The world stood still while my heart danced,

There was no concept of time,

To fall in love with the fairy queen,

Was dangerous and tempted fate,

But her eyes, her face, her hair, it was wildly intimate,

Though raging fires burned within,

I noticed she shivered,

She was soaked to the skin,

Her thin gown blocked nothing from my view,

My mind raced, “What shall I do?”

Aroused in ways I could not explain,

I lowered my gaze before I went insane,

Then I strode to her side and covered her with my cloak,

I held her, warming her, because she was soaked,

Gently I sat her upon my horse,

Her powers were weak, she had lost the force,

I walked beside as she rode,

She pointed out a different road,

“My lord, if you’ll take me to yon oak tree,

My fairies will reward you, wait and see!”

She stretched and arched,

Her breasts taut against the gown,

My breathing was labored, my voice became coarse,

“My lord,” she whispered, “do you need to ride the horse?”

Her full ripe lips formed a grin,

And in spite of myself I smiled within,

“My lady, be careful what you say,

My heart could be easily broken by you today,”

We reached a meadow where a great oak tree,

Was surrounded by fairies, dancing with glee,

“She’s returned, she’s home!” I heard a wee voice shout,

“We’ll dance in a circle until the moonlight is out,”

“My lord,” the fairy queen whispered, “I got cold by the sea,

I want to be warm, come lie with me,”

“My lady, I can only stay until dawn,

Then I need to keep moving on,

I’ve lost my kingdom for awhile,

Until I’m allowed to return from exile,”

“Oh, sire, join with me,

What a team we could be,

We’ll teach you well to stay out of sight,

And with magic, a new way to fight,

Sometimes we’ll love wild and free,

Sometimes sensual and tenderly,”

How could I resist her offer to combine,

To claim her love, and reclaim what was mine?

The fairy queen changed my outlook then,

And prepared me for new adventures to begin.

Telling Lies at Christmas

Mark asked, “What’s your name?”

My son looked at him with a sparkle in his eye,

This was going to be a fun game,

“George. If you ask me again,

I’ll tell you the same,”

My son was smiling and having some fun,

I couldn’t see how that would hurt anyone,

But Bill took exception and looked Richard in the eye,

“You’re going to hell for telling a lie,”

I was shocked at Bill’s words for they were so strong,

Did he really believe that teasing was so wrong?

Bill turned to Mark and quickly said,

“I think you’d better head on to bed,

It’s Christmas Eve, did you forget the date?

Santa won’t come if you’re up too late!”

“I’m sorry, dad, Mark whispered (because he truly believed).

Santa was still coming, Mark was so relieved,

Fantasy was one thing, and truth was another,

Bill’s perception of lies was between one and the other,

Despite Bill’s protests I left in a huff,

Friend or no friend, I’d heard enough,

On the way home I explained to my son,

“Our words should not be used to hurt someone,

Respecting others is one of our goals,

I don’t care if you believe in the North Pole,

A Christmas Fairy with a magic wand,

The Magic Kingdom or deer that can fly,

Is that all in fun or just telling lies,

Allowing others to dream and have some fun,

Why should we want to hurt anyone?

Santa is a fun story to tell to the young,

To see their eyes light up when stockings are hung,

When you were teasing I didn’t think there was harm,

Especially for Bill to shout an alarm,

I’ll be expecting Bill to apologize,

Unless he can prove that reindeer fly,

Otherwise he was the one telling a lie.”