Gentleman

Tastes of salt and sea,

Of ripened olives.

Smells like soft light 

In early morning orchards.

Feels like rounded edges

After a glass, or three, of red.

Sounds like the soft landing

Of shyness fallen.

Gentlest of gentle man,

Lowered shoulders

Sweetly familiar.

Lay down your pen

Listen.

Feel the drumming?

Calling you to heal

So hard

That you can hear

Beyond your wounds.

Thundering bass

Can startle, shake, 

and scramble our story lines.

Our pens scratch wildly

Trying to make order

Trying to cover

Profound sound.

We armour ourselves 

with narratives familiar and 

closed.

Comfortable in chaos

And cages

These stories write and wrap

‘Round and ‘round 

Like a layered long embrace,

We feel safe in.

Holding us so tightly 

we forget how it feels to 

truly

breathe.

We’re more than the story

We write of ourselves.

We’re the drumming.

… Listen.

Carries low (lyric)

 Shame carries low, carries low

 Shame carries low, carries low

 Shame weighs you down, weighs you down

 Shame carries low, carries low

I didn’t let go because you did it

But because you couldn’t see it

Shame carries low, carries low

In the bend is not the breaking

In the words is not the meaning

To be seen within the weeping

Is to heal

Even deep inside the fearing

We live our way into believing

Hands were reaching for the taking

Or not there

 Shame carries low, carries low

 Shame carries low, carries low

 Shame weighs you down, weighs you down

 Shame carries low, carries low

I didn’t let go because you did it

But because you couldn’t see it

 Shame carries low, carries low

Untitled (lyric)

Ten foot waves come crash against the sea shore

Washing clean the marks of an old war

Spins the breeze to blow away the feelings

Holding you from walking through to more

Here you are

It’s ok to fall

Step into the forest breathing deeply

Humming low with life no questions asked

Spread your arms and touch the lovely lichen

Feel yourself a part of all that’s passed

And in the spring when all is drenched in dew

Wet your lips on tears of this breakthrough

Dig your toes deep into earth and life

Welcome morning where you’ll realize

Here you are

It’s ok to fall