Wednesday, February 28, 2007

When There is Fire

When There is Fire
James Dinsmore

What does it mean
When the stars blow out
And fire consumes the moon?
When science and postulates
Collapse and die,
Is it a foreboding of good
Or of doom?

What do you trust
When the law says so,
And you know that the law is wrong?
The trusted men spoke so loud,
They made laws,
But now they’re gone.

What will you do when the nations
Rise and shake against the insanity
of their own spite?
Where and when can a man seek refuge
When they fall both day and night?


And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come. Joel 2:30,31 KJV

When I was a Child

When I was a Child
James Dinsmore

When I was a child,
It didn’t take much for me to feel neat;
Happiness was plenty of ice cream to eat,
A good time could be found in a box of sand,
And my world was small enough to understand.

Now that I’m a young man:
I’m finding myself generally displeased
With yesterday’s methods of meeting my needs,
I’m dissatisfied with the man I am,
And my world’s getting harder to understand.

Before I become an old man:
I hope that I will find,
The key to hope and peace of mind;
A way to like the man I am,
And a reality that I can understand.


When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 1 Corinthians 13:11

What Shall I Pray?

What Shall I Pray?
James Dinsmore

My Lord, my God, I’m not sure what to pray,
Many are my needs, but I don’t know what to say.
If I asked for contentment in all I have and do,
What yearning will be left to make me turn to You?

My Father, my Friend, I’m not sure what to pray,
Many are my troubles, but I don’t know what to say.
If I asked for an easy road and success in all I do,
What problem would provoke me to depend again on You?

My Master, my Teacher, I’m not sure what to pray,
Many are my questions, but I don’t know what to say.
If I asked for insight to understand all I need to be and do,
What confusion would make me approach and listen to You?

Then, since I don’t know what to pray,
“A closer walk,” and “your will be done” is exactly what I’ll say.
I must deny a self-sufficiency in anything I do,
For the Christian life is made complete as I abide in You.


Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. John 15:4

We Can’t Communicate (So Don’t Judge)

We Can’t Communicate (So Don’t Judge)
James Dinsmore

You may have sight,
But you can’t see,
Beneath my skin
And into me.
All images become lies,
When you judge a man by human eyes.

You may have ears,
And that’s a start;
But you can only hear words,
And not one’s heart.
The words each man is saying
May only help mask the game he’s playing.

You can take both hands
And try to touch,
Another human being—
But you won’t feel very much.
For we’re all prisoners in a numb body,
Chained by the fear of being known by somebody.


For the Lord seeth not as a man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. Samuel 16:7b

Untitled

Untitled
James Dinsmore

What prize makes men run the race
From yesterday to today?
Are the rewards they’re seeking,
Worth the price they pay?

I see men fighting over and inch,
Only increasing their pain;
Don’t they know if they gained a mile,
They’d still have nothing?


For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and loose his own soul? Mark 8:36 KJV

Twenty-Seven Candles

Twenty-Seven Candles
James Dinsmore

It’s fascinating to watch a candle burn,
And see the flames consume
Paraffin and cord and breath,
That floats about the room.

Entranced by a flickering wick,
I’m drawn into the flame;
To behold a bright performance,
That always ends the same.

Is there any useful light,
From such a feeble flame?
And if it burns in solitude,
Was it lit in vain?

Twenty-seven candles:
Dance before my eyes;
A token testimonial,
The passage of our lives.

Twenty-seven candles:
I tried to make them count;
For the beauty, truth and meaning
That life is all about.

Twenty-seven candles:
For ambition’s compromise;
Year’s of wasted energy,
I so bitterly despise.

With morbid fascination
I watch the candles burn;
Contemplating passing years,
And things I had to learn.


So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Psalm 90:12

The Weeds of Life

The Weeds of Life
James Dinsmore

There are parasites throughout the land,
The weeds of life consume our plans;
Waiting for one to pass by them,
They find in us a growing home.

Dangling from the weeds are seeds,
We brush by them to meet our needs;
We scarcely know that we have touched,
Until they begin to ask too much.

We feed them with our beads of sweat,
Their appetites are never met;
But never would we let them wilt,
For within our souls are roots of guilt.

There is no malice in what they’ve done,
The will to live cannot be wrong;
In the general scheme of things,
Essentially we are selfish beings.

Perhaps all of the good that we have done,
Is a clever trap that we have sprung;
Oh, how empty and shallow my life would be,
Without the weeds that feed on me.


Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is His reward. Psalm 127:3

The Sunset

The Sunset
James Dinsmore

I see something in the clouds divine,
Which remind me of the Lord who’s mine;
Majestic, beautiful, complete and right,
Existing and fulfilled in light.

I cannot help but stand and gaze,
Appreciating the mosaic of fading rays
That make up a sunset, that ends the day,
In such a bright and wonderful way.

But others seem to mock my gaze,
For all that they can see is haze;
They’re looking for a U.F.O.,
So in disappointment they turn and go.

But I remain to praise the sight,
An opera composed of mist and light;
And I leave with the music in my mind,
Sung by a Creator I see as kind.

He hath made the Earth by His power, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by His understanding. Jeremiah 51:15 KJV

The Gamble

The Gamble
James Dinsmore

Multitudes of men
Approached multitudes of doors,
With multitudes of locks
Along the corridors.

For each man there was a goal,
And within each hand a key;
Everyone searching for the door
Of the desired destiny.

All had finite key chains,
Though there existed many keys;
But in order for them to fit
One had to set priorities.

Men spoke many rumors
Of what kind of key to choose;
Yet others scoffed and said,
“All keys fit”,
“No gambler will loose.”

The moment of truth had come,
For each to unlock his doors;
Some found paper saints,
And others plastic whores.

Behind all the doors were walls,
Except one obscure one on the side,
But none could follow those who entered it,
For the lights grew dim and died.


Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:14

The Fighter

The Fighter
James Dinsmore

It’s the morning after a troubled sleep,
But I’m ready to go on;
And though the conflict’s deep,
I have confidence over what’s wrong.

I live the life of a fighter,
It takes it’s toll on me;
It’s the cost of seeking the better,
It’s the cost of being free.

I’ll never stop fighting these wars,
Each day I’ll meet them face-to-face;
As I wrestle on a walk that takes hours,
Or as I sit quietly in one place.

I see many who never fight,
They make life seem so easy;
As they dance they feel all-right,
But their lightheadedness has made them dizzy.

I love the life of a fighter,
It’s worth the loss of comfort and rest;
Each battle gets me higher,
And every victory toward success.


Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. Matthew 10:34 KJV

Ripples of Confusion

Ripples of Confusion
James Dinsmore

A thought,
A person,
An idea
Plunges into your life;
And you ride the ripples of confusion.

You might test the waters,
Or back away;
Fearing to go,
Yet too uptight to stay.

You trip over a crack,
And stagger to and fro,
Semi-recovered,
Not knowing where to go.

Straddling the ledge
Of progress and regression;
How rarely we climb forward,
We choose a lateral direction.

A meandering tributary,
The mainstream of our lives;
An indirect race to avoid:
A thought,
A person,
An idea;
The purpose of our lives
Clouded in confusion.



But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
James 1:14

Placebo

Placebo
James Dinsmore

Spare me of the placebo,
And I’ll promise to be brave;
Without the drugs which make no change,
To which I am a slave.

Withhold the paint from ghetto walls,
If the intention is to hide the poor;
What right have we to numb men’s hearts,
From the needy, wanting more?

Remove the script of our leader’s speeches,
And the intimidating lights that blind;
So they must improvise before the public,
And say what’s really on their mind.

If a leader’s love is liberty,
If a doctor’s soul has sympathy,
If my pain is real I’ve got to know,
Spare me of the placebo.



For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. Jeremiah 2:13

Path of Darkness

Path of Darkness
James Dinsmore

All my days are passing by,
Maybe tomorrow I will die.
I hear a screaming from my soul,
It seems I left a very large hole,
In my path of darkness.

Suddenly --there is a spark of light,
I feel happy and very bright.
What has made my life so happy?
It’s the Lord-hallelujah!


The people which sat in darkness saw a great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. Matthew 4:16 KJV

Part of a Melody

Part of a Melody
James Dinsmore

‘I’ am only half a word,
‘We’ are a song so seldom heard;
Words that long to be redeemed,
Sounds that measure what they mean.

Instruments tuned in separate rooms,
Tend to broadcast different tunes;
Calloused fingers miss the beat,
And strangers stumble when they meet.

We each think along our separate ways,
While a conductor sits, and prays;
We each pretend our side is heard,
While we are only half the word.


For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the Heavens are higher than the Earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8,9

Not What It Seems

Not What It Seems
James Dinsmore

We are blind, deaf and dumb,
Retched, poor and naked
When it comes to spiritual things;
We are mice in a maze,
Lost children in a daze,
For we only know half of our beings.

There’s a spirit deep inside us,
Needing love and truth and guidance;
For we are eternal beings;
We seek to fulfill
The needs we feel are real,
But the world is not what it seems.

We have neglected to procure
The food that will endure,
That sustains our spiritual self;
The ribs poking through our sides,
Are concealed by alibis,
We have no regard for our health.

It’s so absurd to die in pain,
When we’re given everything
By the greatest of spiritual beings;
Seek His face and find yourself
Transformed—with restored health!
For Christianity is not what it seems.


Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked: Revelation 3:17 KJV

Microcosm

Microcosm
James Dinsmore

In the macrocosm life and death,
Reverberates as an infant’s breath;
Frail and soft, thin and cold,
A cycle that cannot be controlled.

Up the hill, and down again,
So is the lonely path of men;
We are required to earn a dream,
But enjoying it is seldom seen.

A race that we are forced to run,
That makes us old and sick and numb;
No time to ponder why we breathe,
Just keep the pace to pant and heave.

Living on in words are lucky men,
Whose life has shined beyond their end;
How often have we stopped to look,
At the choices that will write our book?

Or must all things glow and die,
As an ember that soars across the sky;
How much will be preserved of us,
Besides our lonely trail of dust?



The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Psalm 90:10 KJV

Let Me Live

Let Me Live
James Dinsmore

With tomorrow nearly here,
Before the future’s clear;
When will I arrive?
How will I choose to survive?

With today so far,
While living less than par;
When will I breathe my dream?
What can I make it mean?

Let me live today before I die,
Let me live while I know why;
Before I cannot act out my dream,
The depth and hope of all I mean.


There is a way which seemeth right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 14:12

Keep the Fire

Keep the Fire
James Dinsmore

Never stop getting angry,
Don’t let the coals go out;
Or you’ll accept an oppressed status,
And forget what we’re fighting about.

Never stop getting angry
About the injustice you love to hate;
Or the opportunity will pass by you,
And you’ll light the fire too late.

The fire that burns in your heart
Is the key to staying sane;
For though the reasons are obscure,
You’ll sense triumph over your pain.

Never stop getting angry,
Or you’ll fall asleep with the fools;
The apathetic masses of nothing-
Don’t ever die with your coals!



Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood. Jeremiah 48:10

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. James 1:19,20

It Fears

It Fears
James Dinsmore

Mostly hidden, it will reside,
Unknown in the dark, deep inside;
It comes out in troubled sleep,
Only briefly, only to weep.

Disguised in day by a confident smile,
It cowers in fear of the trial;
In panic, fear and disbelief,
It shivers and retches and gnashes its teeth.

Imprisoned in the soul for unknown crimes,
This creature whimpers and whines;
Repenting for he who hides it there,
Who lives as if he has no care.

Preoccupied with work and time,
The keeper can ignore its whine;
But he venture not too far from home,
In the fear that they will be alone.

A close friend might become too wise,
“It’s only the light” that hurts his eyes;
But no witness will be left to tell them,
If only his fears outlive him.

But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. 1 Samuel 16:14 KJV

Inferior Merchandise

Inferior Merchandise
James Dinsmore

Satan always sells a damaged bill of goods,
Enticing vain emotion where good judgment stood;
Superficial coverings to captivate the eye,
Contents of heartache that cause the soul to die.

Satan’s brand of ‘justice’ magnifies mankind,
Making all authority seem unreasonable, unkind;
Fueling moral indignation over ‘other’s better lot,’
Selfishly preoccupied, forgetting what one’s got.

Satan peddles shortcuts, taken by the fool,
Impatient with the path of God’s sovereign rule;
Dangerous roads, steep inclines and robbers lay in wait,
For sheep out of God’s will are easy prey to take.

Satan is a pusher, hooking men in hate,
On very pleasant poisons for a self-destructive fate;
A grossly inferior ‘high’ that cannot last,
Consumed by those hungry for the carnal and the fast.

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I (Jesus) am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10

Grayest of Days

Grayest of Days
James Dinsmore

On the grayest of days,
I stand quite amazed
At what the Lord has done;
On the grayest of days,
I extend my praise,
For my life has just begun.

In the depth of the night,
I retain my sight
Because my Master’s there;
With His words burning bright
The darkness becomes light,
For He is everywhere.

For my greatest confusion,
I know the solution;
The Word is my guide;
And all the world’s pollution
Can’t mar my salvation,
For He is on my side.


The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1 KJV

Gray

Gray
James Dinsmore

My youth is passing like the day,
I’m loosing the light that showed the way;
I’m stumbling between the dark and gray,
As adulthood ends the day.

Once issues were black and white,
I had no trouble discerning right;
But my mind’s matured-I see both sides,
And within the gray my doubt resides.

Careful decisions betray my mind,
When harm is done by being kind;
Nothing I choose is good for everyone,
Thus my peace of mind’s undone.

The sun is setting on my youth;
Clarity is fogging and smudging truth;
I’m confused in deep distress,
As adulthood turns to darkness.


Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5,6

God’s Way

God’s Way
James Dinsmore

Living for myself,
And doing what I want to do;
Could never give me half the blessing
I gain by following You.

Desperate for a better life,
I was willing to accept your captivity;
But in joy I discovered You don’t build prisons,
You set your children free!

I was willing to sacrifice all,
For you are worth everything;
But when given an emptied life,
You fill it full of blessing.

I stand a man awed and amazed,
Your ways are as high as the sky above;
Oh God, my God, You have won my life,
It’s yours in freedom, it’s yours in love.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11 KJV

Father

Father
By James M. Dinsmore

I recall as a child,
Crying in the night,
And my father’s efforts
To make me feel all-right.

I remember the same man,
Inspiring such fear;
That I would suffer in silence,
So he would not come near.

Beneath his harsh exterior,
Beyond a young boy’s mind;
Was the nature of his character,
A man compassionate and kind.

His booming voice-a thunder clap!
I marveled at this giant man;
But an even greater show of strength,
Was how he gently held my hand.

His friendship I’ll treasure forever,
His instruction will not be undone;
I will benefit throughout my life,
For being this man’s son.



For whom the Lord loveth He correcteth;
even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Proverbs 3:12 KJV

Dying Less than Men

Dying Less than Men
James Dinsmore

I get so disillusioned when I see
Those who have wandered sixty years;
Without finding a cause to live for,
Thus they die as failures.

Are their entire lives lived numb?
Can it be true that they never see?
Don’t they realize their sense of hunger
Was to keep them from dying empty?

As they die they exhort me,
“To make something of myself,” like them;
But I can see through their plastic pride,
They are dying less than men.

I cannot follow them,
Whose standards are insane;
They are afraid to seek the truth in life,
To face it brings them pain.

I will give my life to a reason,
Though they’ll never understand;
That meaning is more important than success,
And destiny is to find the man I am.



And this is life eternal, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. John 17:3 JKV

Cradled by Trees

Cradled by Trees
James Dinsmore

Nature let’s share the feeling,
May neither of us speak;
For words will shatter our sharing,
For our common ground is weak.

The trees alone seem to understand,
And the soft waves of a lake comfort me;
The rhythm heals my bruised mind,
The clouds will help me see.

I am an orphan,
But the sky has not abandoned me,
With nature I’m not alone;
And I can trust the trees to cradle me,
Until the ground will lead me home.


When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. Psalm 27:10 KJV

Cosmetic Surgery

Cosmetic Surgery
James Dinsmore

We are intelligent men
But this wont be revealed;
For we have conformed in this world
To an image, and healed.

The key roles of our lives
Were structured by men;
We play patient pawns
To being order again.

The World is alive,
But this truth wont be told;
For by the law we are mute,
And by our labor we are sold.

If only those who played dead
Had helped the prophet speak out;
There might be raging warmth
From a flame long snuffed out.

How impoverished we’ve become
To gain an image so crude;
A parody of God,
Without caring how we stood.

A little clever surgery
To make man seem so tall;
To create self-importance-
Can we be so small?

Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited seplicures, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleaness. Matthew 23:27 KJV

Brain Scan

Brain Scan
James Dinsmore

Is there a brain scan
That can seek out a mind;
Is there a mind left,
Untouched and not blind?

Are there men yet
Unchanged by our times;
Have the courageous left,
Consumed by our crimes?

If there was a voice left
That can’t be deceived;
Would we trust in a fable
So hard to believe?

Could a purpose unite
Men who can’t get along?
Is there common ground
Unknown for so long?

Would the truth change
The fear in our minds;
Does a message remain
Unchanged by our times?


Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and for ever. Hebrews 13:8

Bad Program

Bad Program
James Dinsmore

Bad programming in society,
Has established mass insanity;
Criminal turmoil does much to reflect,
Man’s total loss of self-respect.

Entrenched in us from date of birth,
Is an overwhelming lack of worth;
Having been taught, so shall we,
Program our children helplessly.

How firmly do we expect success?
Why do we feel ‘second best?’
How do we untie the knots
That foster self-defeatist thoughts?

Everything done and everything learned,
Yields a better person in turn;
But people who have no self-esteem,
Are afraid to try or even dream!

Make a little effort each day,
To reprogram yourself in a positive way;
An enlightened mind can break the mold,
Of the errant program’s destructive hold.


And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Genesis 1:26 KJV

At Twenty-One

At Twenty-One
James Dinsmore

What is such a serious face
Doing on one so young?
Why do the eyes look calloused,
At only twenty-one?

Eyes that have learned to protect the mind,
By looking through the schemes of man;
In big cities and busy streets,
Not sensing what the scenes demand.

Oh, but of course the boy breaks through
To impress upon himself and friends;
That life is for folly and great adventure,
Though he must work to reach these ends.

Working with hands that liked to play,
He finds himself a struggling man;
To earn a niche, a life and dream,
That requires all the strength at hand.

Yet is was a youthful sprint,
That sent this boy down such trails;
To confront a larger world
Where awesome discipline prevails.

So the serious face is much a mask,
He’s still a boy at heart;
In a complicated and growing game,
A young man has found his part.


The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is their grey head. Proverbs 20:29

As the World Dies

As the World Dies
James Dinsmore

Why should I be born
While the world dies?
The stars appear that they will
Shine their last.
Politics are running out of reason,
Balance out of weights,
The Earth is out of breath.

I have just begun to breath,
But I feel it is only to watch
The sun go down.

My destiny is laughing,
My senses are crying.

The end is the good and bad event;
What we see now is transient,
It will not be the same tomorrow.
We will not return,
But I will touch it all as I pass,
As it all collapses around me,
The tyrannical reign of man
Will end.

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. Matthew 24:29 KJV

After Image

After Image
James Dinsmore

I connected with a sunset,
Like I never did before;
Somehow I saw eternity
Through a briefly open door.

A momentary glimpse of truth,
That left me nearly blind;
I grapple with the afterimage,
That’s burning in my mind.

Bear with my lame description,
Observed through human eyes;
Listen to it quickly,
Before the image dies.

The transience of our lives,
And the eternity of time;
Ceased their conflict for a moment,
And made peace within my mind.

The dazzling white has faded,
Into fragments red and green;
It’s all slipped through my fingers,
The afterimage of what I’ve seen.

In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; then He openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction, Job 33:15,16 KJV

A Man of Dust

A Man of Dust
James Dinsmore

Echoing voices, chants of rites;
Worship of day and fear of nights.
Religious symbols, persuasive words;
Hypnotic gestures, mysterious lords.
Darkness of sin, radiant light;
Mumbling lips, one fears the rite.

Blatant rejection, eyes on the ground;
Eager desires, rebellions abound.
Hypnotic power, not so intense;
Primitive gestures, sheer nonsense.
Days are finite, darkness clears;
Understanding rules and end to fears.

One awakens as the rite dies;
Loosened knots and dissolved ties.
Nature is real, the wind blows;
Reality speaks to he who knows.
He sees, but he is a mystery,
The planets are cold, the stars are free,
All beyond his grasp.

Silence ushers in the fear:
Of darkness, though nothing’s near.
Substance-less-void, but too intense;
Splitting nerves, a deceived sense.
Trembling, emptiness and doubt,
Confusion, he is cast about,
By his own mind.

He is just a man, composed of dust;
An orphan on earth, with no one to trust.
His security died when the temple fell,
Nothing to gain, no fear of Hell.
But he knows himself, and in this he trusts;
To make meaning of this man of dust.


Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. John 4:22

A Flower Killed

A Flower Killed
James Dinsmore

I felt beauty
Until I dug,
And covered the flowers I loved with mud.
I had a feeling,
But it was suddenly killed,
My emotions were seized at the neck,
Their blood was spilled;
By a thought.

Thoughts are cruel-the mind kills,
It murders easily because it never feels.
For beauty is lost in the analysis,
And enthusiasm in truth;
Life is lost in numbers,
Cynicism is born in worth.

My once peaceful mind’s now weary,
Wrinkled by substance-less thoughts;
I try to decipher it all,
As the flower rots.


And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. Ecclesiastes 1:17,18

A Dreamer Has Died

A Dreamer Has Died
James Dinsmore

I recall from early childhood, a saying never said,
Yet understood; “Don’t resist the cage,”
“For it is good.”

In youth I could hardly see the fence,
But as I grew older I was herded
Behind bars that made no sense.

In hunger from my stall I cried,
For fulfillment of possibilities
That have always been denied
Because they were beyond the fence.

In my heart I longed for liberty,
Though complacent beasts surrounded me,
I approached the fence, to set myself free.

In seeking to escape I was shocked,
To discover the gate was never locked,
So I stepped outside.

I was free now, I could fly.
So I flew to a lake—but it was dry.
It was a mirage.

I searched for orchards,
But instead of fruit-filled trees;
I found decaying stumps and rotting leaves.

Then it dawned on me why men lived and died
In an unlocked cage,
And instruct their sons at an early age
Not to resist it.

For they would rather believe their bars were a reality,
And that there’s meaning in society,
Than to live a life knowing only futility.
They’re all dreamers.

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32