till the trumpet blows

i never want you to think

that i am ok

that i have it together

that there's no need to pray

she texted at midnight

asked me where i'd be

i told her i was roaming

between the land and the sea

it ain't so simple

as it sometimes seems

with all this livin

all this in-between

a time to fall

a time to stand

a time to hold tight

and to loosen your hand

keep on prayin

for every soul you know

this war ain't over

till the trumpet blows

 

wkm

W. Keith Moore has distribution!

"You do have National and /Global distribution with HeartBeat records and feel free to give our 1- 800-433-3262 number or web site www.heartbeatrecords.com  to any one you choose especially the book stores."
God Bless
Susan
 
Susan Stein
President
Heartbeat Records

 

I have some good news. I have a distributor, a very good distributor. Heartbeat Records is going to place my cd's in stores all across the US, and even globally. I am very grateful for this, and hopeful.

 

So, my dear friends, i have a mission for you. Whenever you enter your favorite music/bookstore, ask them for my music. Tell the manager, worker, etc.. to please start carrying W. Keith Moore's music, and say this, "He is with Heartbeat Records."  The more stores that pick it up , the more excited the distributor gets, thus the more promotion and marketing it will receive. It's all very simple and so easy to stir up the pot, especially with great friends like all of you. I am still an independent artist, i still don't have a manager, booking agent, etc.. but by God's grace, now i have a way to get the message and the music to many more people. God is merciful.

 

wkm

love better

every song ever written

every brush stroke on every canvas

every poem ever mused

every novel

every story

all about one thing.

1

the journey of  the soul

it doesn't matter how bizarre

how beautiful

how confusing

how clear

how sinful

how pure,

the soul is WHO we are,

whether we believe in the soul or not

from atheist to terrorist

Buddhist to Baptist

Muslim to Methodist

Judaism to Catholicism

this is all about the "soul of a man"

this is why God became a man with a soul,

through a virgin,

living among us as a poor man,

to bring hope and purpose to our souls,

this is why the cross is our boast,

why we each have our own to carry,

for the good of our souls and others,

if we grasp this,

we will love better.

 

wkm

in a dream

i dreamed last night

a crazy dream

riding in a truck

in the back with many people

most spoke Spanish

i understood bits and pieces

the moon was big and full

it was an October moon

orange, burning low in the sky

i had on a jean jacket

in the pocket was a rosary

when i got it out

they all grew quiet

a girl next to me crossed herself

then we all did

we prayed together in Spanish

we meditated on the sorrowful mysteries

the gospel of our Beloved's suffering

riding down a moonlit road,

in a dream.

 

wkm

Whatever He tells you..

working in a wine store

i sometimes wonder about the angels

every soul who walks in has a guardian

a messenger of God assigned at conception

this, another incredible act of a God madly in love,

with us

Jesus talked about this

"their angels are before My Father in heaven"

i see sadness

false happiness

hunger for acceptance

a desire to forget

pain

bravado

anxiety

joy

beauty

innocence

all of us with our angels

hoping Jesus will make more wine

hearing the words of His mother,

"Do whatever He tells you."

 

wkm

 

 

is needed

the rain continues

today was forecast to be sunny and cool

i woke at 5 and it was pouring

raining so hard it shook the wooden deck off our bedroom

for 18 days now

without hardly a moment otherwise,

rain

with this kind of rain comes darkness

sunshine?

it is hidden behind low sullen clouds

we know it is there,

we think

it has to be!

this is a trial for the earth

and the earth continues on

flooded in places

but continues on

we are made of clay

of humus

of dirt

the rain softens the earth

and only wisdom knows how much the earth needs

even though we don't understand

the rain in our lives

is needed

 

wkm

 

St. Pio

Our present life is given only to gain the eternal one and if we don't think about it, we build our affections on what belongs to this world, where our life is transitory. When we have to leave it we are afraid and become agitated. Believe me, to live happily in this pilgrimage, we have to aim at the hope of arriving at our Homeland, where we will stay eternally. Meanwhile we have to believe firmly that God calls us to Himself and follows us along the path that leads to Him. He will never permit anything to happen to us that is not for our greater good. He knows who we are and He will hold out His paternal hand to us during difficulties, so that nothing prevents us from running to Him swiftly. But to enjoy this grace we must have complete trust in Him.

- St. Pio of Pietrelcina

there.

the moments we respond to grace

are simply beautiful

the moments we don't

are horrid,

ugly,

in-congruent,

inhuman,

filthy

do we see this?

do we understand this?

it is about our responses to grace

and there is no limit to

 how,

 why,

or to where,

it falls,,,

on the just and the unjust

it is a good moment to plead for strength,

strength to respond to grace

for we are never,

there.

 

wkm

greater

the insight we can gain

from sorrow and dissapointment

is greater than anything

we may receive from success

 or dreams realized,

we are in an eternal love affair

and the kind of car we drive

the size house we live

the emblem on our clothes

all of these are shallow distractions

i am weaker than most my Beloved

easily turned from pursuing you

to pursuing worthless comforts

i can't even muster up the energy to seek you today

but this is a love affair

 isn't it?

i love you whether i feel like loving You or not,

by Your grace,

i keep moving in the monotonous hours given

waiting for Your breath upon my skin

waiting for Your kiss

 

wkm

a mysterious lover

a mysterious love
comes 

and finds us in our darkness
of course
every battlefield has its love stories
and every love story has its battlefields

Golgotha
Iraq

New York City
Afghanistan
Berlin
Vietnam

Little Big Horn
Belgrade
Jerusalem

Beirut
Vicksburg

dark histories

full of love stories every one,

come soon Beloved!

to my soul's dark battlefield

where i battle my sin

where i fight within

to lay hold of that for which i have been called

help, mercy!

 

wkm

rueaga por mi..

Santa Teresa de Jesús, ruega por mí.

 my first test tonight in many years

back in school

learning Spanish

a beautiful language

 lively,

passionate,

romantic,

 my goal,

 to read St. John of the Cross

and St. Teresa in their own language

De San Juan de la Cruz, ruega por mí,

por favor.

 

wkm

 

Again and Again comes the Howling Wind

the wind comes

interrupting emptiness

bringing rain

thunder

shaking everything

sleeper awake!

 pride runs for shelter 

the wind howls

 Spirit

brings storms within us

interrupting emptiness

changing brown to green

the void fills with restlessness

then

hope

love

grace

comes rumbling

changing us

not just once

but again and again

comes the howling Wind

formation takes time

even for everyone

 

wkm

Interrupting Emptiness

 

over the past week the letters in the Liturgy have been from Augustine
my patron
"He will lift you out of the sand and set you upon a rock!"
he pleads with his flock
life is serious
death is serious
grace is serious
our response to grace is eternal
i live in a college town
Augustine did too
a town of partying
philosophising
relativism
but now, as then,
the gospel
the cross,
interrupts this emptiness,

all devils hates this,,,
this is a good thing...

 

wkm

Sling Shot Truck

waiting on Yahweh
the days move slowly
faith is attacked
doubts assail
buying gas becomes a trial
an act of courage
"When Lord!?"
king David in a Tacoma
driving by the Goliaths
proud in their HUMMERS
but i am happy with my sling shot truck,
bad clutch and all
happy it gets me to the store where i work,
Beloved, help me keep waiting for Your wisdom,
joyous in the moment,
apart from you we can do nothing.

wkm

Great Joy!

there is great joy and hope in the mystery of His love for us
there is great confusion in the mystery of His love for us
there is great suffering in the mystery of His love for us
the closer He gets to us
the darker it becomes
it is the opposite of what we are often told
what we tell ourselves
St. John of the Cross did not lie about the maddening nearness of our Beloved
Mother Teresa learned to embrace her darkness and smile at Him,
though He was distant and silent,
seemingly cruel
this mysterious love we are called to
the cross we carry
is relentless, demanding,
in this we can be sure
our soul's are worth much to Him
there is no resurrection to light
without these dark nights
alone with our crosses
there is great joy in this
learning what sinners we are
and how much He wants us still
mercy.

wkm
painting by Dave Marshall

Lieutenant Dan (thanks Blake)

it has rained here for three days straight
i love it
the dark clouds
the sun appearing in spurts
the thunder in the distance
the warning
my boots drenched
a deep puddle where i get in and out of my truck
let it rain
c'mon!
i love the scene in Forest Gump,
Lieutenant Dan,
screaming at God in the storm,
tying himself to the mast
"Is that all you got!?"
a wounded man's prayer
wounds much deeper than his loss of limbs,
so honest,
a little crazy,
desperate,
 real
a son crying out to a Father he does not understand,
a true cry for love...
i drive to the square
lonely, but not alone
in the pouring rain...

wkm

light comes

light comes
it breaks through the darkness
into our dark blues
it outlines the horizon
it joins hands with fear
it stuns us
how does it come?
through honesty
through art
through work
through music
through brush strokes
through words
melody
poetry
laughter
it changes everything
our Beloved called Himself the Light of the World
which world?
the world within us
the world He inhabits
through faith
through the Eucharist
light comes

wkm
http://www.wkeithmoore.com/talk.htm

The Laugh of Love

the laugh of love is infectious
for every soul
 when it comes during suffering,
it brings courage,
even for a moment
when it wells up from within,
it brings peace,
when another brings it in the kindness of humor,
it lightens the load
even for a moment.

wkm

the world is full of mercy

the world is full of mercy
especially in times of mistrust
especially in times of betrayal,
there will always be the strugglers,
the meek
the ones who see themselves in every sinner,
who see clearly the lumber in their own eyes,
who know what they themselves are capable of,
those who know they are great sinners themselves,
hating their own sin,
hating the sin of others,
but merciful toward the sinner,
 toward themselves,
because of the Cross,
 they know their need for mercy
walking among those who don't care about mercy,
praying they will be loving and merciful,
not condemning,
not judging,
for this would go against the heart of their Beloved

wkm

the waiters

as i walked around the square tonight,
i noticed a new exhibit in the local museum
numerous foot and a half tall statues
all nudes, dark gray, and none had arms,
the facial features were incredibly life like
the forms realistic,
but instead of arms in the places arms should be,
there were beautiful wings
these were not angels
they were humans
the artist had done a wonderful job peeking my curiosity
i recalled the verse,
"those who wait upon the Lord will mount up with wings like eagles"
maybe these statues should be called the waiters.

wkm

being there

carrying one another
helping someone in the tumult
being there
being quiet
just being
listening
hoping for them when they have lost hope
praying for them when they can't pray
allowing them their doubts
their questions
their anger
waiting with them
as the storm passes

wkm

Forgive

forgiveness is required
daily,
for others
and for ourselves as well.

wkm

A Unauthorized Posting in My site..

Just wanted everyone to know that an email appeared on my blog today NOT from me, it had my poetry in it, but I did not authorize it or know it was going to be on my blog. I have asked the sender to not do this again. I believe he did not mean to do this and will not let it happen anymore.

thanks for your prayers,

keith

JOURNEY HOME YOU TUBE W. KEITH MOORE

The entire Journey Home interview is now on YOU TUBE in 10 minute segments. Please encourage others to check it out.. and thank you all again for the great support and prayers..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG39kABXtuU

--
In Jesus,
keith

To have Keith come to your area, contact him for details at moorkeith@gmail.com

made for love

the new mercy of our Beloved falls fresh each morning
faithfully
even if we were unfaithful the night before
it falls like the dew upon our divided hearts
why?
why is our Lord so madly in love with us?
why does He want so badly to be inside us, beside us, behind us, and before us?
Augustine said that He has made us for Himself
that our hearts are restless until they rest in Him.
we are made for love
we are made for love
we are made for love
pray for me to always give Him my nights,
my mornings,
my days
thank You Lord for my restless heart

wkm
www.wkeithmoore.com/talk

To be with You is better

"To be with You is better.."
i pray to say this with a burning heart,
like St. Paul,
but some days I wonder if I carry this pathos,
how is it that some days i do...
and some days i am apathetic to it all?
this human condition is mystery and the response to grace even more so,
why do some run to You...?
while others run so far away, disdaining grace?
i do not know this,
we work within time, therefore,
we must never give up sharing this love and grace,
this mercy rained down upon an unworthy soul
who once also ran away,,
and at times still feels the urge to run,
it is baffling.
i walked out tonight as the rain was ending
i stood in the moonlight breaking through the clouds
"dear Lord, You are too much for me."

wkm

the ride home tonight

the ride home tonight from work
man, my mind was racing
so many people coming in looking for happiness
we are all looking for happiness
i saw a guy standing on the town square under a street lamp
we made eye contact as I drove slowly by
he told me something,
but i can't put it into words,
i wonder what i told him
the longer we live on this earth
the more we make eye contact with strangers
the more we look to see if they feel like we do,
do they wonder like we do?
we like to think we know it all,
but really, we don't,
we live by faith in what we are hoping for,
this is why the cross was a real piece of wood
with real nails
real splinters
nothing else really burns deeper than this,
not really.

wkm

You Do!

the smile upon your face
is helping me smile again
the light within your eyes
is lighting me from within

the frustration in your voice
is making me mad again
for the poor, forgotten, laughed at and abused,
you really know how to be a Friend

You lead the way in everything
in living, in dying, in laughing, in crying
You lead the way in everything
You do

the pain within your sigh
is making me feel alive
i'm taking it in instead of running again
i/m changing,,, Lord, ain't i?

the sadness comes in waves
You lift me from the ditch
saying, "i won't make you wealthy,
this ain't about getting rich"

You lead the way in everything
in living, in dying, in laughing, in crying
You lead the way in everything
Yes You Do!

You are a crazy God to love us like You do
You don't make sense with how You bring us through
i saw a homeless man with scars upon his wrist
laughing at the fear he once obeyed, now his joy is Your nearness

You lead the way in everything
in living, in dying, in laughing, in crying
You lead the way in everything
help me hang on Lord
help me hang on Lord
help me stay close to Your Heart
i pray You do!

wkm

The New Israel

the mystery of faith is a dying, rising, and returning Lord

the man who believes this is entering into this mystery

we are the new Israel,

the new strugglers,

when Jacob wrestled with the angel of God,

he would not let go without a blessing,

even though injured by the angel (selah),

he would not let go.

the early church fathers saw the body of Christ as the new Israel,

the Church of Jesus,

The Angel changed Jacob's name to Israel, the stuggler,

the Church is the new Jacob, struggling with God,

but the struggle has gone deeper than before,

now the struggle is within us, to our very core,

He has now written His law on our hearts of flesh,

not on stone.

we struggle not against flesh and blood,

we struggle against powers unseen,

we struggle against sin,

blessed are those who mourn,

we struggle against mediocrity,

blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

we struggle against injustice,

blessed are the merciful,

we struggle against wrong passions,

blessed are the meek,

we struggle against being cowards,

blessed are those who are persecuted,

we struggle against pride,

blessed are the poor in spirit,

we struggle against dissension,

blessed are the peacemakers,

we struggle against the evil that comes from within,

blessed are the pure in heart...

we are the new strugglers with God

we must not let go,

 even if He injures us,

hallelujah!

 

wkm

for the things of God

the heart longs for the things of God

there are seven sorrows

seven joys

the heart longs for the things of God

i know men who have forgotten God

i was among them

and even now,

without His grace and tenacious love,

i could fall among them again,

the heart longs for the things of God

from time to time we must investigate our souls

asking this, "where were you on the night of ........?"

crying out to our Beloved,

"search me and know me, try me that i might know myself!"

the heart longs for the things of God.

 

wkm 

things hoped for

things hoped for,

faith is the assurance of

things hoped for

we have this great hope

hope does not disappoint

we are a people of hope

things hoped for

things?

to be with our Beloved here and now

to be with our Beloved after here and now

to know as we have been known

to kneel with the saints and sing Holy Holy Holy here and now

to kneel with the saints and sing Holy Holy Holy after here and now

to kiss His beautiful face

to give all i am to my Beloved here and now

to give all i am to my Beloved after here and now

that His love for others will become my love for others

that His love for the Father will become my love for the Father.

things hoped for.

 

wkm

 

 

my penance

there are moments when someone is talking and i do not hear them

i hear them, but i am hearing something else too

what they are not saying is sometimes more pronounced

more intelligible, more true

but we all do this

we move our lips,

but we say something else

i was wondering today about something I had heard me say

i said, "that was a meaningless lie"

I was speaking of a lie i had told

my friend asked me the most profound question,

"Is there such a thing as a lie with meaning?"

i have thought about this all day..

i could justify this or that lie for some "good" purpose,

but where is trust in that?

where is my "better angels" in that?

where is the image of God in that?

maybe i should either keep my mouth closed,

or simply always tell the truth,

no matter how it may make me look for feel,

i think in doing this, i would be closer the heart of our Beloved.

 

wkm

Sweet Detachment

there is great joy in detachment

i have seen this great joy on the faces of nuns

i have seen it on the faces of brothers in a monastery

i have even seen it in a rich man madly in love with Jesus

detachment begins with suffering

this comes in all facets of living

loneliness

depression

anxiety

an unsettled mind

boredom

curiosity

a desire to know more of God

a deep love for Mary,

Jesus was the most detached from this world

He so loved the Father and Holy Spirit

and even His love for the apostles added to His sweet detachment

and if you read the lives of the Saints you will find this one theme,

detachment from this world, yet, great love for this world

just like our Beloved,

this is a great mystery of our faith.

 

wkm

the mercy of God

the mysterious mercy of God is upon us

sometimes it is gentle

sometimes it is brutal

it comes as success

it comes as failure

sometimes it is a whisper

other times it roars like a lion

we see it in healing

we see it in sickness

we kiss it in peace

we wrestle it in struggle

it is often only after it leaves that we say, "that was the mercy of God"

it is Gethsemane

it is the scourging at the post

it is the cross

 the empty tomb

it is the Eucharist!

the mysterious mercy of God is upon us.

 

wkm

A Happy Vagabond...

I have had many many folks ask me if I come to parishes, churches, youth groups, coffee houses, bars, concert halls, would open for U2 or Tom Waits, street corners, alleys, etc... ???

YES!

Wherever someone will let me plug in and play, I will be honored to come.

All I need is YOU.

If you feel the slightest urge to have me come to your area,

pray, and then make it happen!

Ask God to help you put it together.

Think of others in your parish or area who could help you.

I am an independent artist.

I have no tour manager..

I have no booking agent...

I have no guitar tech or roadie,

it's just me, my songs, an old guitar, and a story ever ancient, ever new.

it takes a grass roots effort, faith, love, hope, a small sound system,

prayer, and tenacity. ( thanks Sarge!)

 

I only need my travel expenses met, a love offering, and place to sell my cd's and t-shirts. I travel light.

I'm a happy vagabond for Jesus..

 

peace,

keith