Why must things fall apart,
And weariness fall long into a dart?
The pierces and the leaving ache,
The emptiness of hands rising too late,
There is no blood to spill.
No mark of casualty to fill-
These empty hands- yet so I raise,
Them here to You, the one I praise,
The one I rail upon and find so true,
Draw near to me, draw near would You?

The golden light mounts thick on evening haze,
In parting leaves and comely wheat, the world,
And all between sits overbrimming full.
The beauty of the winking hour's flush,
Falls like a fever in the early spring,
So hot and freezing cold - why must it end when I begin?
Why does the beauty fade so soon?
Why do such beauties flame in gold?
Why would it ever soot or snuff or fall to stagnant coals?
O You unfaded light and golden days!
How could You let these fall to deepest night,
But I have seen your grace, though it dismays.
I will lift up Your praise, O faithful light,
So merciful and glorious, what love,
His arm ever outstretched though we despise.

I lie here still a little stifled,
O why, o why, do I fill my mind,
With endless lights and pointless troubles,

My glory and the lifter of my head,
Won't you save me from myself,
You are light and these are shadows,

This gluttony of the mind devours,
Help me cast it off in zeal, in power,
And still in quiet radiance,

Your radiance where I'm sated full,
Where I know peace, clarity true,
Where I'm lighter and enjoy you.

Last year's self is lost like vapour,
In seconds I am not the same,
What shall I do, my footing paper,
Am I built up or down by time,
The trees are taller than last year,
The sky is gone and shuffled new,
The mud is slipped, the grass is clear,
What shall I do, what shall I do?
A calling on the wind it comes,
Unchanging, sweeter morning dew,
Great melody for which all things run,
What blessed tune, what blessed tune!

It's Him, He's here, the Ground of Old,
He remembers me, all the stories told.

Scattered! The warmth of my rest place,
Unearth my bed, place far away,
I am setup upside down low,
And placed in other rooms beneath,

Lord, a fellow like me needs help,
To calm my heart when moving,
To know Your peace, Your time, Your plans,
Will hold me close when I see short,

Too short indeed, upset too fast,
I cannot see Your plans but still,
I'll rest on thee unmoving hill.

Counting the cost like loose change,
The coins seem to fall from my fingers and roll into the weeds,
Muddied and obscured,
Friends found and lost in part,
Help me to continue to show them love,
For you are sovereign, Lord,
I lift up such things to you,
You are worth it, Lord.

The noble lie,
Whispers of meaningless meaning,
Revelling in vapour,
Placing mirrors where windows should be.

The blind lead the blind,
And off they trip and tumble,
Into the depths of a vacuous pit,
Fleeting and silent.

Where your heart yearns for meaning,
Maybe beyond it lies the way?
Where your mind yearns for reason,
Maybe beyond it lies the truth?
Where your soul yearns for freedom,
Maybe beyond it lies the life?

As the great thinker once wrote:
'A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line'.

Balance,
It's all about the balance they whisper,
Spewing velvet lies like heaps of broiling mustard gas,
We weigh with faulty scales, don't you see?!

But they don't see,
Loving what destroys in the darkness,
Loving fools' gold in the place of life,
Loving life in place of eternity.

Nerves die with the rest, don't you see?!
Pleasure is so quickly dim,
And reality is awaiting like a lion,
For you to climb into its jaw in your stupor.

You'll only find it when you lay down your scales for His,
One day your scales will be rebuilt,
But now they are as though rubbish to you,
I urge you, throw them out.

Changing cars like new socks,
Changing friends like old shoes,
Oh the wild insanity,
Oh the deep insatiability,
To empty your mind to fill it with rubbish,
Too empty for peace,
Too empty for solace.

Changing cars like new socks,
Changing your mind like old bedsheets,
Oh the crushing confusion,
Oh the fathomless folly,
To speak double lies to wear double faces,
Too loud for advice,
Too loud for still places.

Oh Prince of Peace,
Change our every allegiance,
To bow at your feet,
And find sweet release.

To change when in want,
And help those in need,
To sow fields of great friendship,
And kneel silently.

I am undone,
An unravelled ball of yarn,
In moments of silence you put my heart on like a glove,
Flowing by in a torrent,
Of sorrow and love.

To my left and to my right,
They curse God and die,
Out of pain,
Out of spite,
They whisper and scream it,
Cursing and deem it,
Justice.

Your heart burns against injustice, O Lord,
Your gaze detests the darkness,
The stark darkness of their blindness,
You, my Lord, are a jealous God,
How long will your children sit in graveyards of shattered pottery?

I am undone,
An unravelled ball of yarn,
Purify my heart.

I am undone,
An unwound fishing line,
Wash away my filth in crimson blood,
And cast me out into the waters.