Painful Parenting

So many have told me, "I accepted only the wisdom

That we were taught in the Baltimore Catechism."

The worst part of the experience is that we were treated as fools;

Because we were so innocent, we believed in the rules.

My parents taught us that it was the spirit of the faith

That guided the actions of the whole human race.

How horrible it must have been for my parents to see

That their faith and Christianity would never agree.

Every bishop's letter read in the church of my childhood

Was thought to be God's word on evil and good.

We weren't even permitted to read the bible verse.

Was it that we may see that these rules were perverse?

I was brainwashed, even before my birth, to feel  shame.

How can a newborn baby be held, for sin, to blame?

Here I am, as an adult, who spent my life in remorse,

Believing that I needed priests to control my life's course.

How can they teach us that we are sinners before birth,

And still preach that their Christ redeemed the whole universe?

I will no longer accept that my ancestors gave to me

The sins of their ancestors; by their savior, they were freed.

It matters not if I believe Jesus was full Divinity;

He certainly had more Holy Spirit than what was given to me.

I wish I knew more about his mother's life on earth;

Perhaps it would give my mothering spirit a rebirth.

And what of her poor Joseph, who could hardly protect her

From the cross she would bear, as many would reject her?

To be the guardians of such a great spiritual force

Surely would have lead many couples to divorce.

Along the way they were given many choices;

They chose not to ignore their own spiritual voices.

Did Jesus really attend rabbinical school 

And did his earthly father teach him about tools?

Where are the stories of how to successfully parent

The souls that a special powerful Spirit were sent?

To know when to hold on and when to allow freedom

Helping mold the adults that they will become.

And where are the accounts of the tender moments

That surely Mary and Joseph had to have spent?

Did they know his mission or worry incessantly

About the special person that was their baby?

These are the parenting stories I wish I knew

How did Jesus's parents make it through?

How did they handle their own empty nest

Did knowing his mission make it hurt any less?

Protective Parents

My son has a protection racket that he runs from his home.
It is the neighborhood spot to which all the families roam.
All his friends stand firm in commitment to family;
This is where the children can live and learn, fear free.

He and his wife have created a backyard paradise;
When people ask to bring children, they don't think twice
The pool is always open, even to those who can't swim;
There are many who will catch the children, if they fall in.

Several dads on barbecues and telling fishing stories;
Mothers in bathing suits, showing off their youthful glory;
Ice chests always full of something cold to drink;
It is sad to think this time in life passes in a blink.

I like to believe that if Jesus and Magdalene had children
This is the kind of celebration their lives would have been.
Jesus was quite a fisherman and a great story teller,
And he was also a joyfully disciplined kind of feller.

I'm quite sure my son would like to turn water into wine,
But he certainly doesn't have that much spark of The Divine.
The families bring loaves and fishes to share -- and beer.
The children cavort in the pool, while parents share good cheer.


Look in the eyes of a protective parent, there's the light of The Holy Spirit.
Their guidance of their children are the voices of angels, even if we don't hear it.
There is nothing greater on this earth than to give our lives to another,
As is the way with every committed and loving father and mother.

Is Tradition Trustworthy?

Almighty power is something to which humans can't relate.

Some say God is a jealous God, but this a human trait.

I do not believe The Eternal Universe rejects all of those

Who grow in the manifestations of The Almighty they chose.

If Divine Energy is a static force, what would be the point?

There are many throughout history we've chosen to anoint

Because these people had special power to lead us to better,

Not simply worldly experience as today's trend setters.

Some people call them prophets; others call them savior.

One thing is certain; we learn from their behaviors.

They do not simply preach sermons as they reject

The actions that show us how to live the lives they respect.

We sometimes misunderstand the stories that are written;

They're scribed by those who, by human power, were smitten.

What is the truth of the tale of Abraham and his son?

I believe the first voice he heard was a false god's one.

Since the time of Abraham, we have sought another way

Than blood sacrifices to gods that, in the heavens, play.

Isn't it possible that we are, finally, coming to an age

In which we help harmony by the lives in which we engage?

If we continue to project power by peaceful protest,

Will this ultimately bring out humanity's best?

We have so many leaders of simpering hypocrisy;

Are we truly ready for our truths to be set free?

If, in our churches we sat, when called to the communion rail,

When we know the policies of our church shouldn't prevail,

Would we be able to bring about truth and justice

And create a religion of honesty that all of us can trust?

A Pedophile's Prayer

Pray for me, My Mother, as I willingly walk to the gallows.
I will pull the lever that will, my body's death, allow.
I cannot say what ancestors corrupted my immortal soul,
But I will give my life to help those I harmed be whole.

Do not grieve for me because I go to a better place;
I pray that I leave something holy of myself with the human race.
It is not the children that we sire that are our legacy;
It is the balance of evil and good in our energy.

It is not for you to wonder what is the final balance;
It is yours to, willingly, give my salvation a chance.
I want the world to honor you for the sacrifice you make
When you let me, as my penance, my own life take.

Women Without Wombs

If a man understands a woman's soul, other men reject him;
This has been the way and truth ever since life did begin.
They have an unfair advantage in the animal kingdom's wars,
And the spiritual realm is what the animal kingdom abhors.

A man who loves his mother is attacked as a mama's boy,
And a man who honors his wife becomes other men's play toy.
Will we finally resolve the battle now that men are Mr. Moms,
And we stop pretending that mothers and God are where babies come from?

It takes two to manage a family, as well as it does to mate;
This may be why it has always taken two to procreate.
We must stop the fantasy that we create humans as well as nature;
Evolution is not controllable by the products that are simply creatures.

We must stop creating designer babies in test tubes in labs;
This takes away all the power that historical natural laws had.
If  we conceive babies that we can't commit to raise,
Give back the unwanted babies; adoption be praised.

As for the women who are earth mothers to all,
They must realize that even great oaks can fall.
They must stop committing to more babes than they can handle
A teacher or babysitter can't, to a committed parent, hold a candle.

But helping committed parents when they act as a pair
Is something about which we all should greatly care.
Each couple has ways of protecting each other and their young;
This is the mating ballad I'd like to hear sung.

Dancing While We Die

One of the worst things we do to our children is to allow them no pride;

The blessings we've been given responsibility for should not be denied.

We should teach them the humility to understand they are on loan;

Our gifts are something the Spirit of the Universe will always own.

We should also teach our young the magic of synergy;

Sharing our gifts with others creates a new energy.

When we truly love, we lean into each other;

This kind of sharing makes us all sisters and brothers.

The only leaders I will follow are those that know how to teach

With example and exchange of information, rather than preach.

If one can't demonstrate to another what one should do,

The mind may know how, but the body can't follow through.

I have had many mothers whose lives have been miracles;

They have graciously shown me how to keep my Spirit full.

Now many of them are facing their own dying days;

I want to be with them and shower them with praise.

And what of all the men who have helped me in this life?

My open love for them shouldn't threaten their wives.

We all need someone's hands to hold and wash us as we go.

Are we to help with all of this with no love beginning to show?

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we created living eulogies;

A deathbed party would, I think, many greatly please.

I'm so thankful for the Hospice angels who help us to tend

Our loved ones' physical needs as our lives come to an end.

Perhaps, one day, there will be a group who vows to each other

To give us compassionate care as we go, like that of a loving mother.

If we are facing our last moments here upon the earth

Shouldn't we be surrounded by gratitude and mirth?

When I go, it would be nice to be taken on a cruise

With all the many people that I'm about to lose.

Let them all party with me as I say good-bye,

Laugh, sing, dance, and tell fun stories until we cry.

The way to perfection for some is to never do anything;

This is not the story that, about me, people will sing.

It may be selfish, but I don't care what is done with my dead body;

While I'm alive I want to be the catalyst for a party.

It doesn't seem right to be silent until our loved ones are gone;

Our shared blessings and blunders will continue to live on.

I have been chosen before to be a person's death director;

This is the person who is the dying one's wishes protector.

Some would say this is prideful, that we want to celebrate

What we did in life, that some may consider great.

It would also be wonderful if those that I have harmed

Would let me say I'm so sorry as they hold me in their arms.

I know that I've hurt many because I live so out loud;

This is the root of my shame; it doesn't make me proud.

The great big passions I feel, I do not know how to control;

I hope not to die leaving these scars on others' souls.

Still Sitting Shiva

We must be able to speak ill of the dead when we have been harmed by them,
Just as those who where helped are able to still claim them as friends.
The negative energy people plant in others doesn't simply go away
Until the wounds inflicted by others are healed, the negative energy stays.

My prayer is that when I leave this life, I've had opportunity
To make amends to those who, from my wrongs, need setting free.
And I hope those I've loved and helped feel free to celebrate
Without the shadow of the things I did that they hate.

I know it isn't so, but relationships should be about batting average,
But the harms outweigh the gifts in those fueled by rage.
All those who believe in suffering as salvation refuse to be healed;
Those who punish all pain believe that any enemy must be killed.

I can truly say that the most freeing revelation to me
Is knowing that another was loved by someone who hurt me.
When I share my wounds with this person, it is my hope
That their love is strong enough to be a saving rope.

I do not seek to destroy that which is good in the other's heart
I simply want to reclaim my own bloodied and beaten parts.
I understand a seven day moratorium on speaking ill,
But must I wait until death to that part of my heart fill?

It is not for us to ever know whether our own energies balance,
But I believe while we live we have many a chance
To seek to leave a positive "footprint" on this earth
When we focus on our Divine Spirit that should have been ours at birth.