A boy on the beach.

I am furious that humanity's mindless devotion to the concept of nation-states has resulted in yet another war displacing thousands of innocent people. When small children drown fleeing from the bombs dropped by their own government after being refused refuge by neighbors more concerned with maintaining control over arbitrary lines on a map, we as a species are truly less then animals. Fuck the violence inherent in the system, and fuck the system twice for good fucking measure. If I was not already working as hard as I can to end this kind of thing, I would not be able to live with myself. Anyone who can look at the image of a small boy's body washed up on shore and not recognize their closest loved one's face lacks the empathy to be counted among the ranks of sentient beings. This is the travesty that I fight. My whole professional career has been focused on mitigating the effects of violent authoritarians, both secular and religious, and despite what I have personally accomplished, I feel impotent. What can I do to fight harder? How can I dismantle the global system which enables powerful nations to destabilize whole regions, propping up tin pot dictators who then abuse those living under them? How do I fight theocratic lunatics who think that their bronze age fables justify horrific acts against others? I am a warrior, where is my war? I am a fighter, were is my enemy? And how to I defeat without destroying? It has been said that when you stare into the void, the void stares back at you. Looking away is not an option, so what can be done to prevent that terrible gaze from crushing those who oppose it? There is a rage, deep and powerful, that is the just and proper response to the abominations of this world. This terrible flame, this consuming fire, if not mastered, will destroy the heart in which it burns, creating yet another vengeful monster wrecking havoc on the weakest of the weak. And yet it is this very rage which fuels the souls of those who fight. This is what it means to be a true warrior, to be not a bringer of destruction, but to be a burning phoenix of peace, consuming your own life that the world may be reborn into hope. When that terrible vision from the void descends upon those who dare challenge it, the warrior lets that weight settle right down on his or her shoulders and moves right the fuck along with changing the world, knowing that the only thing awaiting that vision is the all burning flame locked within the heart of a true fighter. This is the strength that opposes without destroying, that fights without killing. It is the strength that pushes an innocent out of the way of a speeding car, that gives up days, weeks, or even years with loved ones to protect those who will never know they have been protected. It is the refusal to accept that the only solution is to kill. It is the voice that screams against those who support fundamentally unjust social and economic systems which benefit some while harming others. I will not accept that this is best we can do.  I will not rest unto those who wish to be strong learn that throwing a punch takes less strength then taking a punch. I will not rest unto those who wish to rule learn that true mastery is found only in service. And I will not rest unto those who think this is all part of some god's plan learn that such a god is worth fighting. 

Now if only there was a post title in here...

Somewhere

There's a poem in here somewhere
waiting to come out.
I wonder if I'll find it
behind the noise and doubt.

There's a poem in here somewhere
buried in my head.
And maybe I can write it,
before I go to bed.

There's a dream in here somewhere
beneath the crush of life.
And maybe I can dream a world
without the violent strife.

There's hope in here somewhere
a balm against all woes.
And maybe I can share it
those in troubles throes.

I Think Yule Like This

Solstice Day

When darkness falls across the sky,
upon the longest night.
The whisper of the gentle breeze,
assures me it's alright.

"Within this dark and quiet womb,
the light begins to grow."
These words the wind did send to me,
Across the silent snow.

And so I stood upon the hill,
before the fire bright,
To wait and watch for golden rays,
The first return of light.

Across the sky of early morn the light did slowly
start to play.
And warmth and joy did fill my heart,
Upon that solstice day.

Sweet Dreams are made of these

Night in the Wild

In the arms of the mountain I lay down my head

In the heart if the Goddess I make up my bed.

The wind in the branches, the stream in the field,

The birds in the air, quiet, rest as day yields.

This balance of forces, of earth, wind, and air,

This land that is sanctum to doe, stag, and bear,

Away from the hustle and bustle of day,

Forever my soul and my heart long to stay.

It's a living

The Warrior

A sword and a board and an empty night
full of things that bump and bite.
A tavern warm and a maiden fair,
With sparkling eyes and flowing hair.

A call to arms, a call to war,
a call to death away so far.
A soldier's life of duty waits,
To lead the evil to their fate.

Coming home

Sand

Two years in the sand
Frozen in time and space
Time to live again.

Matters of the Heart

The Dove

Relief breaks across my heart like waves upon a sandy shore,

The struggle that I could not fight has left to trouble me no more.

Before the face of certain death, I stood alone, unarmed and proud,

My heart resigned for what should come, a living, beating burial shroud.

The treasure of my inner soul, the light which shines within my sky,

The one I love above all else, had threatened from my world to fly.

What chain, what grasp, what anchoring weight, could I attach to such a one,

When love requires open hands, and she must fly free in the sun.

And so no harsh or angry words, no pleading for a time to come,

Could pass my lips, but only this, "I love you, till my life is done."

And so set free, my love did soar, a gentle flapping towards to air,

And just before she passed from sight, she paused and turned with grace so rare.

And back into my life she flew, a shy, unsteady, halting flight,

And to my open hands she came, and set my life and heart aright.