The Shadow

Look down
From the swingset
Distorted by the angle of the sun
Cutting around your body

That represents so much
Dark in the light
You're distorted form is the only dark in the light on the ground

We run
We run as fast as humanly possible
Thinking that if we shed pounds and turn just right
We will not leave behind darkness

The only way we will cast no shadow in the light stream
Is when we are no longer in it's way of it's path
Or when you are and it burns right through you

Video Conference

Christmas Day
We are thousands of miles away
Countries and states dividing

USB
A simple periphrial with a camera attached
Opens living rooms across the world

Mothers and father
Sisters and Brothers
And anyone you can imagine

Odd scheduled workers
No leave soldiers
Missionaries driven to stay the course

Technology
We can be in the same room
Regardless of distance

Empty Mug

Sit down with me
My brother or my enemy
I bite my tongue
And grit my teeth
And pray for laryngitius

Caution
Heed to all of the signs
Paper taped to doors
written in pencil
Cones
Triangles on metal posts

Don't be ensnared
The bait is set on a small rectangular serving tray
The aroma and sight are calling out to you
If you reach out
If you take the bait
In one swoop you will be crushed

I wish I had some more tea

Can't See Past the End of My Nose

Too much to say
Too much time to think
Too much time to sulk
Far too little sleep

Desire for more
Desire to win
Desire to fire
To lose is to win

Hit me
You know you want to
But I promise that I won't hit back
Kick me while I'm on the ground
You'll win, You'll win
But you're going to have to kill me....

Defeat can be whatever you think
And success is whatever you want it to be.

Dense
Took a call
where no one is ever at fault
and everyone else is the culprit

Senseless
Prepared for
attack. Fangs and fear
ever ready to strike out

And the poison seeps in
and the lungs stop breathing
the heart stops beating
Cold blooded
hidden beneath the fallen forest
the next one drops

Look in the mirror
We're part of the problem
Running from errors
Right after we cause them
Breaking bones and burning homes
But leaving them without water
While leave behind a serpent and a polished stone

Encounters

Meeting together for dinner
Envoked freelings of my history here
Floods of memories and voices

Talking about the struggle
Created questions about where we were
And why we were there

Lonely, broken, tired and ready
To not want to be those things anymore
Isolation leads to the creation
Of sculptures hardened inside and out
With a chisle of self pity and a hammer of quite

We played our songs outside in the parking lot
That told of our struggle and dissapointments
I found the greatest dissapointment

Was who I have been compared with who I should be
Breaking off shell and running as far away from it
Changing my mind and attacking my emotion

I hope we can all do the same thing
Amend our crimes and give us a clean slate

-Josh Wilkinson 12/01/2009