Reign

Who can open the doors of his mighty face?
Around his teeth there is terror
His back is made of shields 
Shut up so tightly and sealed
One is so near to the next
No air can come between 

His sneezings flash forth light
    And his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn
His bones are tubes of bronze
His limbs like bars of iron
Out of his mouth go torches 
Sparks of fire leap forth 

There’s none that’s like him

Out of his nostrils pour forth smoke
As from a boiling pot and burning rushes
 
His breath kindles coals, and pours forth smoke
A flame comes from his mouth
In his neck he abides strength

There’s none that’s like him

On earth there is nothing like him
A creature that is without fear
And terror dances before him
His heart is hard as the lower millstone

When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid
Behold Behemoth
 At the thrashing of his tail they are beside themselves
Behold Behemoth

He laughs at the rattle of javelins
Though the sword reaches him, it does not avail 
He counts iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood
The arrow can’t make him flee his ground

On earth there is none like him
God alone poses threat

When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid
Behold Behemoth
 At the thrashing of his tail they are beside themselves
Behold Behemoth

“I declared a war, the day my side was pierced
I dragged him by snout down to hell 
and on the third day, i pronounced the beast dead
I abolished his authority”

Behold the Victor
Behold Redeemer

Avarice

                                         Cracked streets mirror the faces of the lean                                          
Repressed by a split society 

The gutters overflow with poverty
A judgement is passed faster 
Than the water and the bread

Ive endured all the seasons
I’ve been sunburned by the scoffs
Frostbitten by the shame that they throw my way

Do they see a human? 
An identity more than “Homeless and hungry
adolescent injury has left me without mobility”

The concrete jungle has digested too many

Beneath the layers you look a lot like me
 Fingerprint of deity, breath of the Holy
Beneath the layers you look a lot like me
See me in despair, will you spare anything?

Behold my eyes are opened
I see the great divide 
It’s hungry as the abyss
Their fortress scrapes the sky

Outside the peasants and poor are of multitude
Quickly forgotten by the ones 
That are living in plenty

Beneath the layers you look a lot like me
 Fingerprint of deity, breath of the Holy
Beneath the layers you look a lot like me
See me in despair, will you spare anything?
I don’t care about the amount in your pocket
 But can we address the plank that occupies your eye socket

Knuckles white, around your pocket book
Where have you built up your kingdom?

I’ve stored up in paradise
Where this weathered attire
Is worth more than your prized 

Beneath the layers you look like me
Beneath the weeds, set 6 feet deep
You never shared a thing
Now we share everything

Heathen Heart

You see there is this concept
That has consumed my head
 And it’s very same thought
That has been turning me over in my bed 

Do you hear that unfamiliar rattle?
The sound of my knees as their growing weak
I’m not used to kissing the dirt
 
It crawled in between my ribs 
And its chipping away at my concrete heart

My worlds spinning, I’ve lost my bearings
Give me a chance to find my footing

I’m struggling to wrap my mind around this single thing 

How I’ve strained myself endlessly
I’ve made a fool of the grindstone
I’ve worked my fingers down to the bone
To earn something that was there all along

Rats are caught in traps and dogs kept on chains
Thieves are apprehended, murderers put in cages
Am i any better than these?
Am i not one in the same?

So what qualifies me to be a recipient?
What do i have to offer?
I’m undeserving, I’m unworthy 
I’m undeserving, I’m unworthy
This is unjust 
Extrinsic

What conditional creatures we are
If your nature was something similar 
What conditional creatures we are
If your nature was something similar
You would have burned this bridge 
You would have cut the ties a long time ago

You see there is this concept
That has consumed my head
And it’s the very same thought
That has been turning me over in my bed 
You chose to love me even though I was dead 

Allure

Circling the bait
A door way down the hall
It’s up and to the left
It’s not a room for company
Not for friends, or for family
Marked with a warning

Six panels of faded mahogany 
The only barrier separating me from mystery 
 
Cursed is the curiosity
The oxidized bronze 
Has developed a new shine for me
“Maybe just this one time”
“Surely i will not die”
 
Monarchs stir, sweat beading
Forbidden fruit has me salivating

The universe separated  
As the seal was broken
It brought a ringing to my ears
And now my eyes have been opened

Oh what a discovery, what a brand new world to see
It totally encompassed me, an image of extraordinary 
Colors speak in poetry
 Sounds dance like calligraphy

This will be my sanctuary 
When life builds up on me
This room is all that welcomes me
When I’m here, I swear I feel something

What if i’m wrong? 
I’ll sing a cowards song 
So what if i’m wrong
Just let me be 

Oh how fast the world turns over
How fast the apple spoils 
Substance turns to ash
And colors fade to black

The key is turned, and a free man becomes a prisoner
 
My conviction was a lock on the door and now its broken 

Six panels of faded mahogany 
The only barrier between you and me

The only way out is if i let you in

By Faith

There is nothing more dangerous 
Than arriving at hopeless
My bed was made of it

There is nothing more frightening
Than a life without meaning 
My bed was made of it 
I got sick of lying in it

Listen, this is what was and will never be again
This is the lowest that ill let myself sink
From out of this pit I will ascend
I put hopeless to rest the first day I believed 

I felt the ground shake 
When i was peeled off the floor
The walls i’ve built have crumbled down

Seasons exchanged
The ground released its grip
Dormancy welcomed springs fair kiss
Frost retreat to its grave 
Ovations from tree tops proclaimed
Streams from distance applaud
Colors restore to landscapes

Growing into new skin
Shedding the weight of old demons
By faith I’ll be greater

Blacken the skies, blind my eyes
The flame inside won’t be altered
Firm in purpose, resolution
The lions mouths will be musseled

Blacken the skies, blind my eyes
By faith I’ll persevere
By faith we persevere

The reaper is scheming
Death so foolishly dug a hole
But I am no lifeless cadaver
No, I am no corpse
I am but a seed ready for planting
Near is the season of my ripening

I’m eternal
By faith we’re eternal