In the darkness, it was felt from a distance. Swarming towards the little boarded-up house. Mother and father, protecting the children. Stocked the supplies, Rationed during the unknown night. Rest was far from watchful eyes because the terrors were not imaginary. Sickness, suffocation, infestation, and sores. They huddled scared, alone, together. Locked down, apart. They… Continue reading Modern Plague
I wonder sometimes. Out of the million choices and decisions I must face, what if I make the wrong one? I worry sometimes. Am I serving God? Or am I serving myself? Are my constant failures proof that my faith isn’t strong enough? Am I in danger of losing the grace, mercy, and love of… Continue reading Serve the Lord with Guilt
What do you want me to say Today Can I find a word that would persuade Or will I play the silent fool On the edge of mind On the edge of care On the edge of less than a minute Can I find a word that doesn’t feel like scraping Under the bottom Under… Continue reading Say Today
It must have been hot and muggy that afternoon, walking down to the river Jordan. Dirt scratching between their toes and thirst cracking their sunburnt lips. The tour guide raised his toasted arm again over the heads of the crowd, to direct the exhausted stragglers on the right path. A few older women sat down… Continue reading Discerning the Spirit
He fumbled with the pages flipping back and forth, trying to find the little black letters that synced with what he recited in his head. Focusing almost too hard, he could not quite catch up to where everyone else seemed to be, because he could not concentrate. Little monsters behind his eyes swayed his attention… Continue reading Passionate Gospel
Evening dawned. The red sky faded to purple, to black. The artificial light from the quiet little room intensified as the sun descended into the deep. Just outside the window, the world disappeared into black. On the inside of the glass, false brightness made the gloom more forbidding. Blankets and pillows, space heaters and rugs… Continue reading Out of Body Breath
How can a word save you? It can steer away from harm and danger. It can encourage and inspire to do the right thing. It can tell you where to walk and how to live. A word can be a sweet comfort or a stern warning. It can speak of truth in a world of… Continue reading One Word
Self reflection might kill you If you stay too long. We all know the voice inside that want to be right. Who deadens nerves and eardrums and hands When you have to listen to your self-inflicted quiet self. Who feels. Who wants. Who searches. Who wants to make you right But sometimes makes you sick… Continue reading Self Reflection
Why I don’t cry when my dog runs away. I don’t get angry at the bills I have to pay. I don’t get angry when my mom smokes pot. Hits the bottle and goes right to the rock. The song across the street. Moving along the scraped up crosswalk. And strangely I recognize it. In… Continue reading Lovin’ is What I Got
When summer is over, and the morning chill stands close by. And the years should be counted, even though they slip slower. And faster. Because the heaps of memory build up the pressure. Time, remembrance, meaning, waste. When had the yester turned into being. The now, the will, are losing their luster. Because too many… Continue reading Love Doesn’t Work, Sometimes
Cindy Koch 