The Trackless Path

Why will you follow fools?

They play

And you dance

And in the end, 

You both fall down.

And then you complain.

I love that thing most

That comes just before

They speak.

Silence.

Why not skip the rhetoric?

Why not settle for Silence.

She does not impose.

She does not imply.

She does not 

Call upon dead others

To justify her lies.

But do not be deceived.

If you sit with her long enough,

She will speak

With words too terrible 

To utter.

And then 

You will either live or die

By what comes next.

For no one 

Having heard her voice

Can justify their trust

In anything less.

I cannot shed old things

By looking back at dark mistakes.

And yet, they tug at my coat

And beg to be understood

As if I could figure them out.

But I can't figure them out.

They make no sense.

And when I try,

Dark clouds gather

And if I am not careful,

They portend doom from which

My mind must grapple to escape.

And so I don't look back.

I look forward to the bright light

Of all that He has promised.

I step into the sunshine,

And then into the sun,

Hot and scorching.

And it burns away the old.

But I do not notice

Accept in retrospect

That old things have fallen away.

Quietly I hide

Behind this paper.

Content to disappear

Accept for what 

I choose to show

Here on this page.

For I am not what you believe.

My identity was never negotiable

And I realize now

That it was a mistake 

To give you a vote.

So farewell

To all of you

Whom I love so much.

I love you still,

Perhaps better 

For what you cannot see

Since I no longer allow

What you think of me 

To determine what I am

And how I love you.

Nor will I allow

How you appear 

To sway me 

In my estimation of you.

For here in the quiet silence

Of my solitary life,

You are all I ever knew you were,

Noble, sweet, true and kind.

Brave and faithful

To what you meant to be.

But if you ever forget 

Your majesty - Your beauty,

Come find me here,

For though lost to yourself you be,

You are not lost to me.

In Matthew 16:21-28, Peter tries to convince Christ not to put himself in harm's way and Christ rebukes him. Then strangely, Jesus appears to change the subject. But if we look closer, these two themes are not so disconnected.

Slow down.

Not every opportunity

Is for you.

It's true!

Be still.

Chill!

Be slow to act

My friend.

Be content

Don't vent

Your anxious impulse

On some imprudent spend.

If so,

You'll grow

Into a wealthy man

And if your soul's secure,

You'll bless the world

With all that dough.

For you did not need it

In the first place.

What about copyright? And where do we put our coins?

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Can the truth be found through the examination of outward evidence?

It is not what you think.

You count the miles

And tally

The receipts,

But you do not see

The measure 

Of what They say

You’ll be.

And when you think 

Yourself behind,

You look to books

And study faces.

And all of your glory

Is no more 

Than the reflection

Of the fallen.

And the pot stirs round 

A witches brew

Of boiling vomit.

And in each man’s eyes

The ghastly 

Countenance

Of the lost.

The skin 

A ghostly pallor,

Each a demon

Set to devour

His neighbor.

But to yourselves

You’re not that bad.

And the eagles look down

Upon you

From high above

And perceive 

With sharper eyes

The earthbound hosts

Grubbling about 

In the dirt,

Digging 

And tilling it up

In search of silver,

And they turn 

Their eyes away

In shame

And fly away

To the mountains

Where they mourne

The loss 

Of His supreme creation.

And all the while

You fret 

Your bottom line

And fear the day

When it all collapses.

Yes, it is not what you think.

For many years, I could not sing. The songbird in my heart had been shot down. But one night this song entered into my heart and I decided to share it with you.

If your knowledge comes from books, 

Beware.

Humanity cannot ascend 

From the mire of its baser nature

By looking in the mirror.

But if your knowledge comes from above,

Rejoice.

​There is hope in higher things.