I have decided to start a project called Poetic Polaroids.  Much like those classic photos, these poems are instant snap- shots of moments in time.  Raw.  Unposed.  Entirely candid.  Unedited.

I want to bleed for you
Tear my clothes and grieve for you
Pull my hair and scream for you
I am the listener of your nightmares
I am the [...]

I was sick outta work
on my hands I had time
in between all my naps
I came up with this rhyme
it started with a tickle
then my throat got sore
so I bought all the Airborne
I could find in the store
I was sneezin’ and wheezin’
all laid up in my bed
had a pain in my dome
like a vice around my [...]

my life is
a paradox–
a passionate
tango
of
already
and
not yet
I have lived
so many lives
this young body
holds captive
an old
yet
playful soul
I have come
so far
from where I began
and yet
still have
so far to go
I have swept
up the shattered
remnants of my
broken heart
and yet
have still
to drink
the sweet nectar
of love’s true bloom
I have conceived
of a dream
and it is alive
and kickin’
on the womb of my soul
and yet
it [...]

there is something heavier than lead
weighing down my heart
lead is
the color of this day
the color of once bright eyes
that sparkled and danced with life
lead is
the color of the shadow I see
in the weary reflection staring back at me
the color of being older than my years
there is something heavier than lead
weighing down my heart
lead is
the color [...]

these days
life is
less
without you
music
my song
dancing
is less without you
my days
my thoughts
my laughter
is less without you
my dreams
my poetry
is less
without you
hundreds of moments
go
unshared
unknown
without you
my joy
and
my sorrow
is less
I look for you in
the faces
the conversations
the jokes
the journey
and all of it is
less
without you

The Jesus I know
taught me to question rules
taught me to buck against the system
taught me to do the absurd
The Jesus I know
taught me to sit with, not apart from
taught me to embrace the untouchable
taught me to serve the unlovable
The Jesus I know
taught me to look past the actions to see the person
taught me to reach [...]

You may or may not know that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  DV, while not often talked about, is one of the most prevalent forms of violence.  In various settings I have recently inquired about the number of people who have been directly affected in some way by DV and overwhelmingly there was 99% [...]

I am totally, 100%, a bonifide Tia Chucha’s groupie.  If the place had a fan club, I’d run for president; I’d flood the inbox with gushing fan mail; I’d moon about it on my social network status–oh wait, I already do that one.  Well anyway, you get the idea, I just love the place.
Why do [...]

So I’ve been struggling for several years with the whole matter of religion.  I started to write about my wrestling and restlessness in A Hand-Tailored Life.  This isn’t the easiest topic for me to write about, mostly because there is just so much swirling about in my head and my heart.
I’m frustrated with religion.  I’m [...]

Mi poema, es su poema
I am your voice
you are my ears
I am your heart
you are my soul
I am your eyes
you are my vision
I am your song
you are my lyrics
I am your rap
you are my rhythm
I am your courage
you are my strength
I am your broken heart
you are my bandage
mi esperanza, es su esperanza
The lines I write
don’t [...]