Goodbye Letter

Yes, I hear you!!!
Your voice echoes echoes echoes in my mind
as the words soarrrr off the lines
dysfunck-ing my atmosphere
inhaling stenched excuses
each syllable
singes my nostrils
burns my eyes
I cry
inside
to smother the wildfire
blazing through my heart

The flame once set upon the torch
that kept the passion burning
is at its wick’s end
One more deep breath
may be its demise
Another breath…
Ahhhh


Candace Baldwin © 2009-2013. All rights reserved

Teardrops (poem)

Cries…
scarlet eyes
a million teardrops
to my demise
thunder terrors
diminished dreams
can’t see the sky
I’m paralyzed

Bricks..
steep and thick
not a single teardrop
could puncture it
hardened heartache
frozen fossils
angered stiff
my heart is sick

Flow…
letting go
a dozen teardrops
melting snow
forgiveness flowers
springtime smiles
the final show
now, I can grow

Cleansed…
season’s end
no more teardrops
embrace the wind
perfect peace
feeling free
we can be friends
I love again!

Candace Burts © 2009. All rights reserved
Read Teardrops Inspiration: Letting Go

The Source (poem)

I trusted my career
jobs to provide meat for my household to eat
Thinking it was my employers that were causing me to thrive
but when it came down to it…
when it came down to their business trying to survive
when they needed to downsize
it was to my demise.

Or so they thought.
But no! I praise God!
Despite the economy
Hard as it is out there
my family eats well
my cupboards’ never been bare
Rent’s never been late
nothing’s been shut off
insurance never lapsed
cause my fate…
is not based on how the world’s financial system operates

The Kingdom of God is not in recession!
It’s running full-force
It’s not what’s my source of income
but WHO is my source
Lord, YOU are my source!
I trust You
YOU are the one…
I trust…
for my income

Candace Burts © 2009. All rights reserved

Strapped (poem)

Strapped with my sword
with more fire power
than AK-40 anything
sharper than Ginsu, dao or jian
to slice and dice
disillusioned thoughts
li-ver than any crew

It's tha REAL deal
folks should wanna kill for my piece
turning slick trips and tricks
inside out
confounding the wise
peepin false messages going out

Don't be deceived
All that sounds good isn't good
Don't leave home without it

Stood Up (poem)

KABOOMIN cabinet doors
Zoomin from room to room
Slidin across the floor
Tearin up the house
where's the other Jimmy Choo?
Guess these boots gon' have to do
cause he'll be here in a few
Let me slow my self down
get a grip…
and go check out my doo!

Soliloquizin lines
the clever words I’ll say tonight
gigglin n’ cheesin in the mirror
freckles ain't too pretty
but the makeup’s tight!
Dang, the bulb blew out
now there ain’t gon' be much light
It’s cool, I’ll lay it out like this
he’ll like this candlelight
Play some soft jazzmatic sounds
to set the m-o-o-d just right
Relax
breathe
just be…
I got a date tonight

15 minutes late…
     hmmm... this is kinda’ rude
20 minutes late…
     now, I’m gettin' an attitude
30 minutes…
     call… voicemail on the first ring
   Hey… just checkin’ to see where you’re at
   there’s somethin’ I want you to bring
45 minutes…
     kick off the boots, cause they’re w-a-y too tight
     pouting 'bout all I did to look cute
     blow out the candlelight

Vexed and perplexed, tryin to conceal
the rejection I really feel
Break out the Häagen Daz and DVD
as if it’s no big deal
I nod off
humbly
carefree…
Or so I seemed to be


BUT... God Knows and Sees EVERYTHING

[God]
Gazing upon my sweet child
submersed in tranquil sleep
She’s the apple of my eye
My darling beloved sheep
Hey, I’ll cheer her up
I know just what she will like
A morning bluebird serenade
a gentle breeze and bright sun light
Should I wake her now?
No, I think I’ll let her get some rest
Oh, I’m so excited
I crave her sweet incense
Oh, I was so delighted
from the past few mornings that we spent
All I want is to show her love
Her heart I want to mend
on Me can she depend
Me... and Me alone


Ok, just one gentle touch
a stroke upon her cheek
Awww, look at my baby girl yawn
she’s just about to speak
Flickering eyes adjust to the sun
I love their early morning glow
Though she hates her freckles
I created them just so
Always thinking she’s ugly
but she's gorgeous, made perfectly
That part she likes least about herself
I love… for she’s unique
Look! She’s dropping to her knees
Good morning daughter, I love you!
Oh… she’s just looking under the bed
for her other high heel shoe

15 minutes…
     bathroom prep to sweeten up her breath
20 minutes later
     a shower to make sure she’s clean and fresh
30 minutes
     See, that’s why I blew out the light
     The prayer book beside the pack of bulbs
     a little dusty, but in plain sight
45 minutes
     The Today show? Ask me! I know just how it’ll go
     What? she's putting her on coat
     Kaboom! She's out the door

I knew her commitment to “quiet time”
was a little too good to be true
This morning, I just wanted to tell her I love her…
and where to find... her favorite shoe

Candace Burts © 2009. All rights reserved

Inspiration from Quiet Quality Time

Love, My Dove (poem)

Loving good
it's good to pray
hating evil
evil haters prey
...on my dove
The Lord is my Shepherd
I feel no evil
filled with no evil
real to no evil
I love good
good comes from above
...on my dove
Love

by Candace and Slay
Candace Burts © 2009. All rights reserved

10 Minutes and a Burger (poem)

Photograph by SamPac

Poor man, hungry for something to eat
Beggar man, no where to sleep
needs two hands of offering
one for his soul
one for his body

If his body passes on and lays to rest
no more heart to believe
no lips left to confess
and all you did was say "Be blessed"

What good does it do to just say you'll pray
when you are the answer that God sent his way
a few dollars or a burger is a small price to pay
to spare a man's life for another day

10 minutes of your time
may help a blind man see
as with anyone blind, he needs someone to lead
just a few minutes to share your testimony
May spare a man's soul for eternity
Candace Burts © 2009 - 2014. All rights reserved

"Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink..."
~Matthew 25:34-35

MEDITATION: Read Matthew 25:31-40

Touched by God

Who knows what this man is going through?
but he is... passing through it
taking a minute in a dark hour to pray and reflect
tightly clenched fists and vein-strained hands
he is confronting something
his bowed head is not a symbol of defeat, but
humility and reverence
an understanding that some things in life are
beyond our power

~SLAY

Copyright 2008© Patrick Slay


Slay is a multi-talented artist and poet, an awesome man of God and my best friend. Though also gifted in painting and sculpting, most of his works are in pencil, with an urban and spiritual influence. He was the first to inspire me to listen to what art is saying. Hear the voice of the artist, and experience their joys, crys, screams, laughter and power. I'll be adding a series of posts to display his artwork in the future.

You are My Poem (poem)

You are my poem
You have a soul
You live within the confines of the blue lines whereupon I have inscribed you
Birthed from my heart with passionate phrases
I created you for greatness
Shaped, fashioned and formed you with purpose
breathed life into you with my spoken word
You are a living poem

You’re not just any poem
you are my favorite
I’ve written several sentences and phrases
a paragraph or two, but you…
you are my most prized possession
When I finished your last word
I read you over and over from beginning to end
I said, “This is good!”

Then, a thief came along and tried to claim you as their own
jumbled your lines to make you appear in a different form
remixed your sound, now you think you’re just a hook
But look!
Know that I am the Author and Finisher of your being
You are a part of my book
The #1 Best Seller

You are an original
created in my likeness
I poured myself into you
You have my power, my style, and my flow
You are not a remix
You are not simply a bunch of words with no meaning
You have an amazing sound and rhythm of your own

I created you with purpose
on purpose
and for a purpose
Know your worth!
You have the power to impact the world
to stand as a legacy to represent me
Before you were typed, I defined your destiny

The paper you live upon may fade, tear or rip
digital copies may be deleted or zipped
but you will always exist
for eternity with me
and in the hearts of all the lives you’ve touched with your beauty
You are my poem

Candace Baldwin © 2009-2013. All rights reserved