Two Poems

I wasn't sure whether I wanted to put these two poems on here. It's risky. They deal with my own struggles concerning religion. They are not emblematic of my system of beliefs. They are, rather, questions that I have posed to myself many times over the course of my life. They contain no insights, and draw no conclusions. It is my hope that they offend no one, and that you will enjoy them simply for what they are.


My Prayer

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
It's not like I was using it right now.

And late at night I lay awake
And pray the Lord my soul to take
I had no plans for it anyhow.

Sometimes I get on my knees
Say hear me Lord and help me please
And bless this food that I eat today-
I'm gonna have to eat it anyway...

Hear O Israel, God is One.
And let thy Holy will be done.
Down here on earth as well as in the sky,
But mostly I just pray that I'll get by...


Salvation

It’s hard to visualize it
when you’re trying to survive out
In the wind and the thunder and the rain.
Lightning can be frightening
and there’s not too much inviting
When you’re frozen with fear and numb with pain.

But you keep on believing
that someday you’ll be receiving of
The thing that you’ve been chasing for so long.
Don’t let up on trying
and you’ll find yourself arriving at a place
Call it heaven – call it home.

In the sense of what is beautiful
I prefer unusual,
Once gotten used to - doesn’t feel so strange.
The things that seemed impossible
and even implausible
Can suddenly seem not so out of range.

Some find it inconceivable–
and other's say believable
Otherwise He only died in vain.
If you think He wasn’t anointed
Then you can’t be disappointed, in someone
Who only tried to ease your pain.

And I find it quite amusing
And a little bit confusing
That relief can be found in a song,
While prayers can be chanted
The relief that gets granted
Don’t last long.

You may feel you’re forsaken
For the liberties you’ve taken
And you've hoped to be forgiven for your wrongs.

So therein lies the lesson-
that the ones you were impressing
With the shortcuts you have taken for their trust,
Can not leave you complaining of the
ones that you’ll remain with
When it all- turns to dust...