Fill My Cup

I tried to take a sip of wine
But my cup was empty
At the feast, I see people getting their share
Yet my cup remains empty
Full of desperation
I cry out to the Lord
I have no wine, fill my cup
Patience
Is His response
Here I sit with cup in hand waiting for my Lord to fill it

Modern Knight

By day he fight evil

Armed with a taser and a badge

Sir and Ma’am all day long

By night he comes home to an empty house

It’ll be four day old day chili from a restaurant tonight

He dreams of peace, love, family

Past forty, will it ever come

Midnight comes too soon

In bed he clutches his rosary and prays

He prays for the same things each night

He wonders if it will ever come

Laughter

The thing I hate most, laughter
It stings my ears with mockery
When I was ten, I made up my mind to stop laughing
After two years of working on it I finally stopped laughing
With laughter out of my life
I learned that joy disappeared as well
One day in mass, sitting in front of me was a young mother
A mother with tattoos and ill advised attire
When her baby started getting fussy
She picked him up and laughed
Not a mocking laugh, but a joyful laugh
A laughter described at the birth of Isaac

Steps

Are you ready?
The word, ready, stings
I crosses an ocean to come to this land so that I could serve
Now all I want is a warm cup of tea and a soft bed
Anxiety sweeps over me as I look at the people
Sickly, desperate, hungry
I shut my eyes praying it will all go away
I can't do this
Mother walks over to me and puts her arms around me
One step at a time
That's how Our Lord carried the cross
One step at a time

Storm

I am on a boat
The waves crash
Lightning parts the sky
Thoughts turn to death
Lord, do you hear my pleas
Your child are crying out for help
No answer
Storm gets worse
Surely I will die
Just before lighting strikes the boat
Storm vanishes
Rainbow appears
A dove flies overhead

Formed

You formed me with purpose
A purpose I must figure out
At middle age I found myself still in this maze of life looking for a sign that reads purpose
My mind's imagination led me to believe it would be grand
The age of 42 brought with it a realization that I am small
As small as a grain of sand
My purpose, although small is to love
Do small acts with love
Find beauty in all around me
Give joyfully

Today

Today is the day
I know it
My face softens in a smile
Many around me have tears in their eyes
Why, I ask the Lord
For four months, I have been laying on this cot knowing this would end soon
My life was short
Full of hardship and heartaches
Begging for food to survive
These four months have been the most peaceful
I sleep under a real roof
I am fed and bathed each day
The ladies that take care of me greet me with the warmest smile
They teach me about Jesus
Today, I am smiling because today I know I will meet Him