Day of Thanks...

Pausing today to reflect on the many gifts we been given...

While I was in Africa I was overwhelmed with the first bold impression of Lack. Children half-dressed and dirty scattered like trash in the streets, blocks of unfinished buildings, peddlers shouting for "mzungu money" with dehydrated babies wrapped around their back, understaffed medical clinics filled to overflowing with sick patients, stagnant water where cows graze used for drinking water...

Setting down the sweet wine of the United States to see and be part of a world with so little was sobering.

I realized how much I had taken for granted.

It is so easy to live life here in the US in the fast-lane, isn't it? Wake up, shower, eat breakfast, read the paper, work, eat, work, drive home, go to the gym, eat, watch TV, go to sleep, repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Habitual expectation. We rarely pause to take a good look at this life we are living.

In Uganda, in spite of a backdrop of lack, the people live life more grateful and thankful than a culture overflowing with much. The small things- a new shirt, a shelter, one dollar, health, clean rain water- bring forth unexpected thanksgiving.

Today we have the opportunity to pause, take a good look at this life and realize the gifts we have been given.

May your day be filled with thanksgiving...

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Psalm 23

Brittany

copper and gold...

Got this penny here in my hand
It’ll buy me this world
They say
Hold on tight, don’t let go
Fight for the stuff it’ll bring
In this penny put your trust
Dream the rich dream
They say
It’ll buy me this world
In the alley, the slums, the street
He’s there
With the less-than-they’s
He’s a fool
They say
If he really did
Forfeit all to
Stoop down to them-
The unnatural
Surrender
Heart of God in rags of a poor man
The richest portrait of love
Let go of all to love
The ones with nothing to give
Got this penny here in my hand
It’ll buy me this world
They say
Unnatural to let go
Foolish to forfeit
The world it’ll buy
I’ve seen the utmost surrender
Worth more than a penny
The heart of God
Offensively humble
Irreverently bold
This world
Is found wanting
Next to that
Rich portrait of love
Got these pennies in our hands
Clinging
Defending
Trusting
A bankrupt dream

©2006 by Brittany Hogan

Seek Up...

SEEK UP
Dave Matthews

Sometimes I feel like I'm falling
Fall back again, fall back again,
Fall back again, fall back again

Oh, life it seems a struggle between
What we see and what we do
I'm not going to change my ways
Just to please you or appease you
Inside a crowd, five billion proud
Willing to punch it out
Right, wrong, weak, strong
Ashes to ashes all fall down
Look around about this round
About this merry-go-round around
If at all God's gaze upon us fall
It's with a mischievous grin, look at him

Forget about the reasons and
The treasons we are seeking
Forget about the notion that
Our emotions can be kept at bay
Forget about being guilty,
We are innocent instead
For soon we will all find our lives swept away

Look at me in my fancy car
And my bank account
Oh, how I wish I could take it all down
Into my grave, God knows I'd save and save
Take a look again, take a look again,
Things we have collected
In the end they all pile up so tall
To one big nothing, one big nothing at all

Forget about the reasons and
The treasons we are seeking
Forget about the notion that
Your emotions can be kept at bay
Forget about being guilty,
We are innocent instead
Soon we will all find our lives swept away

You seek up an emotion
And your cup is overflowing
You seek up an emotion,
Sometimes your well is dry
You seek up a big monster
For him to fight your wars for you
But when he finds his way to you,
The devil is not going--ha, ha

Sit awhile late at night with TV's hungry child
Big belly swelled
Well, for the price of a coke or a smoke
I could keep alive those hungy eyes
Take a look again, take a look again,
Face it all, face it all again
Well in the end it all stays very much the same
No one but us to blame

Forget about the reasons and
The treasons we are seeking
Forget about the notion that our emotions can be
Wept away, kept at bay
Forget about being guilty, we are innocent instead
For soon we will all find our lives swept away

You seek up an emotion
And your cup is overflowing
You seek up an emotion,
Sometimes your well is dry
You seek up a big monster
For him to fight your wars for you
But when he finds his way to you, the devil's not
Going--ha, ha

Fall back again, fall back again, fall back again...
Fall back again, fall back again, fall back again...

So we live, in part, and go on
We don't give enough
Don't leave behind your soul
Oh in the end left us behind
Protect me now
Oh lover
Don't leave me
Don't leave me alone here...
Lonely lives
Oh lonely lives
Forgive me
Don't leave me alone

Forgive me
Forgive me
Forgive me

So alone
Oh love in this pain
And when I caught you there
You swore that you were innocent
Well how's it so
When you stole all you could from me
And when the last breath was breathed
You walked to another place
To end together life was strange

a quickly moving parade...

Jokers we have become
Playing life
Day after day after day
After day-
The fool
Wondering if this
Is what it’s all about
If this game is truth
The painted face
Juggling
Contorting
Playing
The joker
Seems we have become
A quickly moving parade
The crusade
A charade
Juggling God’s breath
Careless child’s play
Wearing Sunday best
Smile
Joker
Smile
Have you seen the broken streets
The world left behind
The hungry eyes
The naked-
The unloved-
The despised-
Unworthy
The parade plays on
A harlequin's
Hymn
The joker dances
Art of contortion
Elaborate acrobatics
Grandly costumed
The rhythmic jest
Moves on
Leaving broken the streets
Hungry the eyes
Naked-
Unloved-
Despised-
The unworthy
Passed by
A quickly moving parade
The crusade
A charade
Costumed as good Samaritans
Oh jokers we have become
Juggling God's breath
In a quickly moving parade
To live truth
Will we-
On bended knees
Will we fall down
Naked
Crawl into the rain
Let the tears fall
Heavy and hard
Coloring outside of the lines
The child released
From the joker’s inhibitions
Eyes wide open
Arms outstretched
All will fall down
Will we fall down
Stigmatized
The fool
Will we
Step out of line
Lose the next step to fall to our knees
Abandoned to truth
The fallen fool
Crying out loud for
Redemption’s rain
Naked
On bended knees
Will we cry truth
Wretched and broken
Crawl into healing rain
All will fall down
Will we fall down
As a quickly moving parade
Passes by

©2006 by Brittany Hogan

apostasy...

Make him believe
Make him believe
We are his truth
Diametric shadow
Independent of its maker
Make him believe
Make him believe
A trivial contrary
Our image-
His truth
His poetry
His stories
His words
Twisting twisting
Like a crown of thorns
Bending
Breaking
The crude crowning-
Make him believe
Make him believe
We are his king
Make him believe
Make him believe
Twisting twisting-
He meant when he spoke
Poverty-
Wealth
Lowliness-
The American Dream
Heterogeneity-
Uniformity, maybe fame
Abhorrence of power-
A podium to preach
Suffering-
Comfort, health, peace
Renunciation-
Just another reference to
The American Dream
Make him believe
Make him believe
Preaching at him
Instituted apostasy
Sunday after Sunday
Maybe we can
Fool him to believe
We are his truth
Maybe we can make
The Fool
Believe

©2006 by Brittany Hogan

Icarus...

Designed to fly
Strength like an eagle
Fragile as a butterfly
Fly, fly
Free-
In a sweet world
Golden honey-
Freedom's gift
Icarus...
Strong as an eagle
Fragile as a butterfly
So strong,
forgotten how fragile...
And fly
fly fly
Free


Even the eagle falls-
Strength fails
Heavy burdened with
Freedom's gift
Icarus fell...
The fragile butterfly-
Wings dripping sweet honey
Captive-bound
Struggling to fly
Restrained in
Freedom's honey
Torn and broken
Weak and tired...
Wine sweeter than honey
You have come
To heal broken wings
Bind up the torn
Free the captive
And again will rise
Fallen Icarus...
On wings like an eagle
Designed to fly
fly fly
Free

©2006 by Brittany Hogan

free bird...

She’s got us twisted
Hands tight behind our backs
Chained up and tied
In the name of
Love
Fear muting faith
In the name of love
She’s got us
Bent like a slave
Cowering at her feet
She speaks softly, sweetly-
This is what love is
Washed, purified mind –
The crucifying of wonder
And questions
And thought
The cutting of the free bird’s
Wings
Stockholm’s captives
Clinging to her feet
In the name of
Love
Death or this grave
That promises life
Fire and brimstone
Weeping and
Gnashing of teeth
Or
Emasculation, prostration
Salvation-
Clinging to her feet
In the name of
Love
The free bird still aches to fly

©2006 by Brittany Hogan