Altar of Ash
Eyes of judgment Upon us all Seeing nothing right For everything is wrong Self-righteous visions Fill the hearts of the humble We shall save this lost world By burning it all down Until nothing is left But piles of ash Altars of a once noble dream Paradise shattered By fear and hate The end of days We suck the life from you Offering nothing in return No concept of grace No model of forgiveness Blind to history Deaf to story False memories Fake mythologies Love has no foundation In the worship of destruction How dare you rebuke us
When I wrote this collection of poems over twenty years ago, my world looked much different than it does now. I worked at a church, read apocalyptical stories of fiction for fun, listened to sanitized messages of faith, and was afraid of most people who didn't go to church.
A lot of what I share in these poems is a twenty-year wrestling match between who I was and who I am. It's scary to reveal, but I'm glad I am doing the recovery work in public. It isn't for everyone, but hopefully, for people who have had similar journeys through the front door to the pew, then out the backdoor to the curb, there is reconciliation with hope, art, beauty, and life.
While most of the things I consumed have been forgotten or reserved for nightmares, there are areas of religion that still intrigue me. One is the concept of altars, the spaces we turn into places of worship, sacrifice, and remembrance. Maybe it's a lit candle and a whispered prayer while you meditate or a photo album on the coffee table that fills you with joy for the past as you thumb through it.
Altars can be objects of beauty or provocations of wrath and rage. I long for the former but live in the world of the latter. That is why I love to meet people, hear their stories, and build relationships. It is the joyous work of tearing down altars of ash and replacing them with beauty and hope. It might not be "realistic" or "church sanctioned," but it's full of life and promises for a better future.
Newsletter Notes:
I can't get enough of The Harmony Codex by Steven Wilson, so I opted for something new (to me) from his discography: Deadwing (2023 Remaster) by Porcupine Tree
I used the following prompt in Midjourney for today's artwork: crumbled bridges post-apocalyptic world cinematic lighting --ar 16:9 --stylize 1000
I recently picked up a collection of fonts designed by Remedy667 from RetroSupply Co. and used Fright Watch for today's title