Behind The Holy Door

It's a scene that depicts not innocence.

It's what really goes on behind the holy door.

It's everything and nothing at all.

It's yesterday wronged forevermore.

It's the secret you carry in your pocket,

A burden of a sin deflected to be theirs and mine.

It's a topic left abandoned and untouched.

It's the drawing of the moral line.

It's the saving of a broken soul,

That's the manipulation of truth to your lies.

It's the business that matters to no one,

Despite all of the wheres and whys.

The story at times has been changed.

Even the timeline has been modified.

Vows that teeter on an unbalanced foundation

Continue to weaken you as the glorified.

It's corruption we sleep through each night.

It's a topic we fight to keep out of the news.

Yet to share in confession and reconciliation,

Will release us from the lies turned to truth.

It's a scene that will depict hurting wounds.

It's what will no longer go on behind the holy door. 

It's everyone and everything at all.

It's tomorrow made right forevermore. 

09.05.16
©Kerri L. Stanley

Old Flames

It's been a couple of years now,
The fire's heat we can no longer feel.
I thought we could see past the smoke,
And walk away with just burns that would heal

I see you around from time to time,
Even ask others about how you've been.
Forgiveness found its way to my heart,
And I thought maybe we'd be friends again.

But I made the grave mistake
Of revisiting that old place from the past.
And I found you have been there too
And it's clear that it won't be your last.

There is leftover bitterness in your soul,
Clinging to your bones like smoke does to wood.
You've fanned the flames to rekindle the fire
Knowing I'd burn in the place where I stood.

If time erases the pain and the hurt,
It sure missed its mark with you.
Keep playing with fire and you'll burn again,
Until you grow tired of what the scars will do.

One day you'll look at yourself in the mirror,
And won't recognize the person you'll see.
But it won't be too late to let it all go,
I'll forgive you still and beside you I'll be.

03.14.16
©Kerri L. Stanley

Forgiven

You haven't noticed how long it has been
Since we walked hand in hand through our lives
That you left me way back in the fork in the road
Resisting you and your sins and dreamless desires
Thinking mediocre is enough to sustain us
Nudging me along to keep pace with your step
Hoping my silence is my gratuitous consent
Not seeing that now there is really nothing left
Your weakness will blind you to the sad truth
But I continue to follow you down a treacherous slope
Because I know of no other means of survival
And my heavy heart has long since buried all hope
You can carry me every time I might stumble
I can hold onto you for wanting what you can't give
We will continue this journey because it's good enough for you
And because even a broken heart can still know how to forgive

11.25.12

We Can

We can still recall those final days
Filling our days with things to do
Running away from what we should face

We can wish for what we had before
Make believe the pain isn’t real
Until we can’t feel anything at all anymore

We can walk this road together
Perhaps separate at the fork
And think this will be forever

We can believe in only ourselves
And think it will make us feel better
To stack yesterday upon dusty shelves

We can attempt to do inconsiderate things
And think it won’t bother the other
Or, that hurtful words won’t sting

We can choose to carry or toss
What matters in this life
We can lift up and carry our cross
We can stop living to fight this loss

07.05.10