shadowland

The betrayal he knew growing up,
left a blue haze,
still quietly enshrouding his soul,
not abating with time, therapy, pills or faith.
as if his ability to reason clearly was taken from him,
His suffering unattainable,
He can't even embrace it,
even it is vague...
This opaque shadowland where Diablo's cold breezes blow..
where no one feels difference,
where relativity rules the reader,
and there are no absolutes other than fear and false pride,
Love and Truth are entirely other..
Lord have mercy..

wkm
Nashville
for another friend, please pray..

The Prodigal

i was just looking at a painting
the "Prodigal" by Rembrandt
if you have never stared at it,
never studied it,.
the father is the focal point,
his forgiving touch,
his loving gaze,
there is not one ounce of judgment,
the filthy son on his knees is truly sorry,
truly confessing his sin,
deeply longing for redemption,
to be back with the family he betrayed,
complete abandon..
the older son watches in judgment,
standing on a pedestal higher than the rest.
condescending..
pride and bitterness just beneath his facade of welcome,
he forgets in an instant of jealousy his father's love for him,
he forgets his place of grace and mercy,
filled with envy that has no place..
this is the image of all our lives..
sometimes we are the young son,
sometimes the elder son,
but all called to be the like the father..

wkm
Nashville

Santa Fe Blues #1

have you ever met anyone who has visions
or someone who hears voices
or someone who makes choices
based on a sign
based on a line
drawn in the sand
of reality and desire?

have you ever known a man to go astray
leaving his life behind
possibly loosing his mind
calling his wife on the phone
to say his love is long gone
not caring if it's wrong
to burn his children in the fire of self love?

the myst hung in the air
on the morning of his death
all his money, pride and ideas
couldn't save his last breath

all those he had broken
stood around his dark grave
except for his daughter
for her he had long been dead

Boots and hats and desert memories
Santa Fe and the scourge meant nothing
it was only a reprieve for the inevitable
for his inconceivable betrayal always looming

wkm
Nashville
for an old friend who i hope wakes up soon..

these seasons

it's my favorite time of year
cool winds bringing relief
dry air,
shorter days,
soon leaves will paint the sky,
the smell of chimney smoke,
sound carries differently,
and of course,
the crows become more animated..
all of this is grace..
these seasons..

wkm
Nashville

New Orleans in the daylight..

sitting in New Orleans,
with the Oxford blues again..
my son and i went to a concert here last night,
Eric Church and Hank Williams Jr.,
Eric was really good,
great stage presence,
very good songs, great band,
Hank was his gregarious, hilarious,
narcissistic self..
which is his shtick,
i have a growing love affair with this town,
New Orleans is so unique among American cities,
"laid back" is an understatement,
and the best time to walk around the Big Easy?
early in the morning..
i walked down to Canal to the IHOP,
having some oatmeal now,
earlier I walked down Bourbon Street,
which is very strange in the morning light,
before the tourist hit the streets,
I spoke to garbage collectors about the Saints,
we high fived agreeing they are the best team in the NFL,
Rachel, my waitress, is very sweet,
she keeps calling me honey..
she just asked me about the book i have with me,
"Bob Dylan in America"..
I asked her if she knew Bob Dylan's music,
she said she thought so and asked me to name some of his songs..
she stopped me at "Knockin on Heaven's Door" and said,
ain't that a Jay Z song?

wkm
New Orleans

harvest will come

the Catholic priest who abused children,
the 1.8% who did these horrible things,
are criminals..
they are sick, evil, and should be in jail..
those in direct authority over the accused,
if they knew anything,
even if they had the slightest suspicion,
and did nothing,
are guilty as well..
a crime incredibly stupid and bewildering..
if those accused did what they are accused of,
they should be held accountable..
now,
the 98.2% of Catholic priest who did nothing but feed the sheep,
day in and day out,
committing themselves to the welfare of souls,
in stress, in dire weariness, in constant demand, in anxiety, in persecution,
in loneliness, in the midst of this scandal, in love, administering the Holy Sacraments,
Thank you!!
no one ever talks about your faithfulness,
your commitment,
your good work..
Jesus said the weeds must be allowed to grow up with the wheat,
He knew scandals would arise, it's why he said it..
but the truth never changes..
the doctrines do not sway..
the gates of hell do not prevail..
scandals will come and go in all human endeavors,
but one day,
harvest will come.

wkm
Oxford

shhhh

"You feel like somethings coming,
but it never does."--Bob Dylan
voices of our times
never ask,
the better questions,
someone speaks of a new singer,
in terms of style, commercial viability, etc..
never asking,
"What does he have to say?"
"What is he or she about?"
it's as if substance is a dead..
all that matters is commercial appeal..
American Idol tomfoolery.. ( cool word)
but i digress..
new culture doesn't want singers to say anything,
justs want them to sell beer, trucks, watches, jeans, crosses...
make no waves,
safe..
spiritual mummies..
spiritual dummies
soul is mistaken for rhythm and beats,
shake your money maker,
shhh..

wkm
Nashville

beyond the door

as Death leads the dance across the hills,
the newly dead join hands and follow..
the final scene from "The Seventh Seal",
the film by Igmar Bergman..
the actors watch from a distance,
the male actor tells his wife what he sees,
for he is given the ability to see things,
(i believe because of his good and caring heart,)
("Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.")
she responds with playful sarcasm,
"Oh you and your visions."
the entire film is the Knight's quest to know,
to know the meaning of life and death..
but Death is the main character of the film..
Hope does not exist in some imagined confidence,
it is more than that..
it is something else..
no one knows what is beyond death's door,
no one alive like we are alive...
except for our wounded Lord..
He knows,
and He's ok with it..

wkm
Nashville

simply remarkable

i woke this morning thinking about Greece
it has been over a year since i was there in Volos,
walking along the Aegean Sea,
in the waning black mist before dawn..
i had left the hotel just before light
walked in darkness along the wet streets,
they shimmered in what was left of the silver moon light,
the sky spit a fine sporadic rain..
my coat was wet but not soaked through..
an old man walked a little brown dog,
he was smoking a cigarette...
we made eye contact for a second,
"good morning, may i pet your dog?"
the waves pounded the shore to our right,
the little brown dog, some kind of Terrier,
sat down while i stroked his coarse fur under his chin,
his eyes closed..
this made me homesick..
they walked on and I walked to the shore.
a red boat was turned upside down on the beach,
as the sun eased slowly over the horizon,
colors too deep and rich to be explain appeared,
i just stared,
it was simply remarkable..

wkm
Nashville

His most blatant gift..

what great love we have before us
"This is My Body, this is My Blood"
into this world of fear and terror,
He gives us His Body and Blood,
this is greater than any song,
any bible study,
any sermon,
the God of all, promises to feed us,
He, the Good Shepherd,
we, the sheep,
"For My flesh is real food,
My Blood real drink"..Jn 6
it is hard to accept this saying,
this much giving,
this much love,
as hard today as it was for the ones in that day,
for John says many left Him, ( John 6:66)
and still today,
so many can't accept it,
most don't even look into it!!,
don't even wonder...????
most ignore it,
IGNORE HIS BODY AND BLOOD!
i know,
i ignored His most blatant gift for 40 years..
Christ have mercy..

wkm
Nashville

sinner

he felt remorse
the argument
the harsh words
the empty feeling
ego and pride
being right
so what
the private Vietnam/Afghanistan,
nobody wins..
the cat has been found
she lives somewhere else now
but she is fine
Sunday Morning coming down
if only it were autumn
and the leaves were
yellow and gold
reconciliation
4:30
ever the need for it
sinner

wkm
Oxford

something's twisted

there's a saying
and it goes,
"Enemies closer,
keep your friends close."
I understand,
and I see the smoke,
do you see it rising?

there's a flame in this fair land
talking heads hold it in their hands,
fueling hatred,
fear within man,
are we realizing?

if a man's hope in the finite lies,
in the politicians and their white lies,
in the talking heads and all they despise,
is anybody listening?

crows are flying upside down,
tv preachers are the loudest sound,
for the man who died in the thorny crown,
something's twisted..

Pakistan
and the Taliban
Osama Bin Laden
keeps rising again,
he feel his mission is holy my friend,
what does he mean by "holy"?

I spent some time in Istanbul,
and i don't think
 that i'm a fool,
Muslim's were kind and never rude,
just normal people..

they had jobs,
they had kids,
much like us my worried friends,
with a different language,
and darker skin,
and filled with laughter..

if a man's hope in the finite lies,
in the politicians and their white lies,
in the talking heads and all they despise,
is anybody listening?

crows are flying upside down,
tv preachers are the loudest sound,
for the man who died in the thorny crown,
something's twisted..

wkm
Oxford

Something's Twisted

there's a saying
and it goes,
"Enemies closer,
keep your friends close."
I understand,
and I see the smoke,
do you see it rising?

there's a flame in this fair land
talking heads hold it in their hand,
fueling hatred,
fear within man,
are we realizing?

if a man's hope in the finite lies,
in the politicians and their white lies,
in the talking heads and all they despise,
is anybody listening?

crows are flying upside down,
tv preachers are the loudest sound,
for the man who died in the thorny crown,
something's twisted..

Pakistan
and the Taliban
Osama Bin Laden
keeps rising again,
he feel his mission is holy my friend,
what does he mean by "holy"?

I spent some time in Istanbul,
and i don't think
 that i'm a fool,
Muslim's were kind and never rude,
just normal people..

they had jobs,
they had kids,
much like us my worried friends,
with a different language,
and darker skin,
and filled with laughter..

if a man's hope in the finite lies,
in the politicians and their white lies,
in the talking heads and all they despise,
is anybody listening?

crows are flying upside down,
tv preachers are the loudest sound,
for the man who died in the thorny crown,
something's twisted..

wkm
Oxford

Get to You

if you throw tea in a river
will the river taste like tea?
will fish gain British accents,
will turtles swim in caffeine?
conservative
liberal
moderate what?
think I'll go out for a walk,
wishing you'd come along,
maybe out there under that moon,
I could finally get to you..  from Mississippi Noise

wkm
Oxford

hats and cats

hats are important
not caps,
hats
cats are important
not caps,
cats
hats and cats
if it is raining,
like today,
i will wear a hat
and if i were in Oxford,
i would pet my cat.

wkm
Nashville

simple

simple is best
the blue sky
the dark night
a woman's voice
like velvet
whispers
storm clouds
thunder
wind
crows cawing at the moon
while perched on winter branches
tangled fingers reaching
in the night
walking in a field
high yellow weeds
reaching up to outstretched hands
this is simple
but hard to locate

wkm
Nashville

as to this death

i climbed the hill and found a diamond
hidden a thousand years or more
down below the river sang
the willows wept along its shore

Nouwen, Blake, and Dante' waved
from beyond the other side
the river's song a haunting sound
such beauty will not be denied

mysteries can't be explained
as i walked the river's edge
a holy woman took my hand
her face hidden by a veil

a veil as blue as a Robin's egg
gently shimmered in the breeze
the river's tune now in my head
these are the words it sang to me

come on in all who are weary
come on in y'all beaten down
come to me and bathe your bitters
come to me and in me drown

give away the things that own you
come and cool your tangled fear
wash your souls in this dark water
come on child, come on in

i waded in and she went with me
the water sweet and cool and kind
joyful tears flowed down the river
as to this death i gladly died

wkm
Nashville

close to You

thanks be to God..
for His mercy
for His care..
His guidance..
His grace..
His Sacred Heart..
His patience..
forgiveness..
help..
without Him,,
i am nothing..
when i reach for the reins Lord,
reach for my hands..
let me rest in Your ability.
and not my own.
in all things..
in every relationship..
toward friends and enemies..
and more than ever..
keep me closer to You..

wkm
Oxford

the love we make

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

heartbreak comes from the wild blue yonder
disguised as a beautiful friend
sweet honey dripping from those lips
she's lying to us baby again

Bloodhounds bark but they rarely bite
they lead you to the thief coming in the night
it's up to me to put up a noble fight
i'm freezing in this "Idiot wind"..

you can bend bend bend,
but you better not break
or it'll be the end end end
of the love you make..

Jake told me that he tried to put down the bottle,
he tried to throw away the pills
but the boredom and the shakes kept screaming his name
so he fell in for another swim

now he's drowning in the lies of self deception
his wife is filing for divorce
sees his children every other weekend
addiction is a terrible force

 

you can bend bend bend,
but you better not break
or it'll be the end end end
of the love you make

 

the darkness is never far from the light
one choice will lead you deep into the nebulous night
redemption's calling out from the other side
"how low will they have to go, till the blind desire their sight?"

 

we can bend bend bend,
but we better not break
or it'll be the end end end
of the love we make

 

wkm
Oxford 

cotton

 

to the casual observer

everything is fine

the dark clouds mean rain

bringing cooler weather,

at least the sun is tethered for a while

i spoke to a friend while he was on his tractor

he is a cotton farmer

his tractor has a very good stereo

better than the one in my truck

cotton is still growing

so is corn

and soybeans

seeds scattered still become what they are meant to be

i don't know about you,

but there is great comfort in this..

an acorn still becomes an Oak,

it can't remain an acorn..

reminds me of the Church

 

wkm

Oxford

Oxford Baby!

Oxford baby!
i love this little town
especially on a cloudy day
Jack and i are going for a long walk
might walk to town, around town, to the park,
might even walk out in the country
check on the horses.
i drove late last night,
listened to talk radio for a while.
do you think Father told a guy to burn the Koran?
the only thing Father ever burned was the alter before the prophets of Baal,
oh yea, and Sodom and Gomorrah..
but i don't recall any of the apostles burning anything..
there is not much precedent for this in the history of following Jesus,
at least not in any way we deem righteous, right, or holy..
Methodist and Baptist burned Tom Sawyer because they thought it bad for kids,
they felt it taught kids to question authority..
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemons) asked the person in charge of burning his books,
"Would you find the passages in Tom Sawyer you oppose and put them on the board?"
Twain then said he would find some passages from the bible and put them on the board as well..
after the man read the Bible passages he refused to put them up.
He said they were too offensive for children...

wkm
Oxford

in this moment

the man opened his heart
looked up at the clouds
took a deep breath
allowing himself to feel
in an instant he sensed he was loved
not perfect,
but loved..
there is a hidden man in every man
and a hidden woman in every woman
we catch glimpses when He allows,
for He knows us better than we know ourselves..
the man felt a deep sadness
loneliness
how else could he feel?
the joy for the Wounded One is often blended with sadness,
seeing through a glass dimly,
the man turns away..
his sin is ever before him..
as is his uncertainty regarding this path..
as to where it is leading him,
but he senses this..
he is loved,
this is all he can glimpse in this moment.

wkm
Nashville

thankful for friends

i am thankful for friends
it is a gift to have someone thinking of you
from time to time..
i especially like honest friends
who will confront you when you need it..
they care enough,
they tell you when you have been out of line..
in love they speak with tact and candor,,
face to face,
not with email..
using email to stress emotions is dangerous,
mostly it is read the wrong way and fires grow larger..
Proverbs speaks of friendship as ,
Iron sharpening Iron..
i am thankful for friends

wkm
Nashville