Psalm 412

PSALM 412

1 Embrace me, O God!
Show your wonders through my life.
2 Don’t let me drown!
Give me dry land;
Part these raging seas.

3 These blisters I have protected for so long
are now exposed; the very air around me stings.
I try to move – even one foot forward –
and I writhe in agony.
4 This hurt has been with me since my birth;
I drink tears daily.
5 This pain has been my closest friend;
It has been my only companion.
6 I’m so scared to cut ties, for it’s all I’ve known.
Where else can I turn?

7 My mind’s eye is all but blind;
I can see nothing but failure.
8 A past I have never known has sucker-punched me,
Stripping me of the little hope I once held.
9 How long will chaos rule inside my chest?
How much longer must this civil war last?
10 For I feel like I’m losing this fight.
I feel so alone.
11 O God! I want to do what is right,
but this fear is paralyzing.

12 Where is my future? Where is my hope?
I look up to the heavens but there’s only gray.
13 I need more in life than this!
I need to be free. I need hope.
I need to love.
14 I need to be loved.
15 Somewhere between where I am and where I’ve been,
I’ve lost my heart.

16 Still God, I’m stepping out into the unknown
Exposed and open, I’m an easy target.
17 I’m jumping with no nets to break my fall;
You will catch me, won’t you?
18 The darkness whispers doubt in my ears
Great Light, you can make it scatter.


19 This all seems like such foolishness
To trust in something obscure and unseen
20 But I see you God;
And you see me.

21 My mindset is limited –
How could I ever grasp the concept of your art?
This is a dark chapter in a much bigger book;
The Author is not finished yet!
22 Every heartache, every pain I’ve known
My redemption is being written
23 Preparing me to heal this broken world
In the process, You are healing me.

24 Don’t leave me here alone.
Don’t let me down.
Don’t let me crash when I fall.
Please don’t give up on me.
God, don’t forget me!
25 Even as I’m running,
Hold my heart . . .
Calm my heart . . .
Show my heart a glimpse of what you will yet do.

26 All my hope is in you.

A Shoulder to Lean On

This a short story I wrote for this Spring's English course. It is something I've very proud of and it has a lot of me inside of it. Enjoy!

Download "A Shoulder to Lean On"

This Christmas

THIS CHRISTMAS

Couples under the mistletoe
Keeping warm in the Christmas glow
Children jumping in the snow
The smell of baking and cookie dough
Everything seems so perfect and right
The angels sing in the heavens tonight
But as it comes ’pon a midnight clear
I’d trade it all away just to have you near.

The warmth of your body for this cold winter night
The sparkle of your eyes in this season of lights
Not a creature stirring, ‘cept you and me
Unwrapping our gifts beneath the tall tree
To be by your side is my Christmas wish
But I’m thousands of miles from the one that I miss.
Under the same sky, do you dream from your home?
This Christmas season, I spend alone.

Carolers singing at my door
Parents running from store to store
Children skating on the snow-covered ice
Santa’s visit for those who’ve been nice
Everything seems so perfect and right
Sleigh rides going all through the night
But as jingling bells begin to disappear
I’d trade it all away just to have you here.

They’re singing “Joy to the world!”
And that may well be true
But the silent night haunts me now
All I can think of is you.

Families together for a meal
Heading to mass to bow and kneel
Children laughing as they play
Hot chocolate to take the cold away
Everything seems so perfect and right
The stars shine brightly on this Holy night
But as they deck the halls with holiday cheer
I’d trade it all away to be with you this year.

The warmth of your body for this cold winter night
The sparkle of your eyes in this season of lights
Not a creature stirring, ‘cept you and me
I unwrap you completely beneath the tall tree
That knock on the door took me by surprise
Your smile brought joy back into my life
This Christmas season you came back home
And gave me your gift as I held you close.

My Life

MY LIFE

The concrete is as hard as the future
The weather is as cold as my heart
A stomach as empty as my hopes
Alone in the streets I call home.

I’ve lost everything
Most of all my dignity
Every day begging for help
Embarrassed and ashamed
Scorned and mocked.

My life was not always like this.

I remember smiling.
I remember laughing.
The innocence of a child
Searching for treasure;
Now I search for shelter.

My life was not always like this.

Nobody cares if I live or die
I care least of all.
A prisoner to all my mistakes,
I’d give anything to escape.
I’ve found there is no way out.

I’ve been forced to tell my share of lies
Struggling for clothing and food
But the biggest lie that I’ve ever told?
“My life will not always be like this”.

Every Day

EVERY DAY

Every day was pain, in your broken home
Always filled with shame, always felt alone
The blood flowed down your wrist
Death was your only wish
Every day was pain, in your broken home.

Every day was pain, in your broken soul
Holding all the blame, future dark as coal
Knew every ghost by name
You longed to fade away
Every day was pain, in your broken soul

Every day was pain, in your broken heart
Efforts all in vain, lies begin to start
The pills you popped that night
You ended your own life.
Every day was pain, now that pain has changed.

Every day is pain, without you by my side
The ocean can’t contain, all the tears I cry.
The hearse drives down the street,
Life is now incomplete
Every day is pain, without you by my side.

Every day is pain, I cannot move on
I wish that I could save, how can you be gone?
They put you six feet down
Redemption can’t be found
Every day is pain, I cannot move on.

Every day is pain, in this broken land
God’s tears fall as rain, cold against my hand
I stand here at your grave
Your memory will not fade.
Every day is pain. I love you just the same.