Take Me There

A few thoughts:

Take Me There

(A tribute to James Thurber,
with a little help from
Don McClain)

What can you teach me
Should I care
In my loneliness
Deep in despair
Upon this bed of humanity?

Should I assume then
Like a mythical whim
Becoming like man's best friend
In persuit of perpetual happiness
Fetching it like a stick in a pond
Because you threw it out there?

Oh the scent of life's successful endeavor
Over hill and over dale
In all kinds of windy weather
With no crossroads to cover
Only an open mind
A loving heart
Adventurous spirit
An unassuming stare.

Life has no pure definition
Lost in our obsession
But rather an intuition
To take every moment
Like a breath of air
Holding it in
Until we take another
So each holds a special meaning.

So this is what you mean
By the color of the fallen leaves
In which you lie upon and dream
Of another place
Where time has no depth
Or breadth to travel
It is the new Jerusalem
A room in heaven
Noone can share
Take me there.

D.A. Wittler 17’

Wake Up

Wake Up

Woke up in the middle

Couldn't find my way

Darkness had overcome  

But there was a distant light

Flickering in the night

And all the while

I could see something happening

A change deep within

And though the world kept calling

I hit the snooze again.

All my life

Challenges keep coming

Some I can overcome

While others hold me down

But there is no reason

To lose hope in this dry season

When sleep is all I want

And so little I get

Makes me wonder

If I'll ever really wake up

And see reality

What's bothering me

That took me away from you in silence.

Where do you come from

My lonesome friend?

Too often you come running

Only to walk away

And I lose the feeling

That brought you to my door

But in my desperation

I call upon your name

And my heart is whole again.

Day after day

I feel time slipping away

Living life in moments

Like a child at play

No rhyme or reason

Just getting by

And then comes evening

When most lie down

I rise up to worship

A neon sign

Saying:

“You got to make your way

In this crazy world my son.”

That was my Father

But Lord I reckon

Your will be done.

Where do you come from

My lonesome friend?

Too often you come running

Only to walk away

And I lose the feeling

That brought you to my door.

But in my desperation

I call upon your name

And my heart is whole again.

Woke up in the middle

Hit the snooze again

All my life

Took me away in silence

But my heart hopes

To be whole again

My lonesome friend

As I call your name

And you come running

Never to walk away again.

Amen

D.A. Wittler 17’

The Cause, The Mission And The Process

Clearing off these cluttered walls of things not collected,
Memories of bygone days
When I was young, and unafraid
Wondering if I'll ever see the day
When people stop to pay attention
To silent cries of desperation
In lines slowy forming above my brow
Dark circles below sunken eyes
It is a sad commentary to our times
When all one can do is pray for mercy
Knowing there is a reason, and a season for such suffering.
God only knows for sure when heaven is our final destination.
Amen

Now, cut down to 140 characters on Twitter.
Can you hear, see the difference, or is there? These are my days, searching for simplicity. When we take the detours of life, how much further we must travel, how much more we suffer. But not all is lost, neither a moment wasted, if we are committed to a cause. So, forgive, let go. Give life an opportunity to grow  inside of you again. If there is regret, find resolution. If there is pain, seek peace. If there is hate, find healing. If lost, there is always love to be given.

Cluttered walls
Things collected
Bygone days
Unafraid
See the day
Pay attention
Desperation
Sunken eyes
Sad times
Merciful season
Heaven.

D.A. Wittler 17'

Can you hear me now Ma?
Do you see me standing beside you Pa?
Can I be your equal now Sister?
Am I on the team now Brother?
Can I be your friend now classmate?
Will you treat me as such?
I have paid the price with my self esteem
Been beaten up by self doubt,
And only now can I come home to freedom,
Because God has let me out!
Amen

Memories And Nightmares

Today I gave advice to a young person torn by the sting of a relationship gone sour. Now I wonder, can I live by the very words I use to comfort another? Can I let go, and be transformed like the calm after the storm? And so, here is my challenge to live on, and choose happiness over pain after the rain. It is then perhaps that I will find those brilliant colors stretched out across the sky above.

There is a reason they call them memories. Some are the ones we cherish most, and put away for safe keeping, others teach us a lesson, but give us a choice to learn from, and move on, or let them haunt us like nightmares that won't leave us alone. The question is, will we learn from them, even though they are filled with personal connections too intimate to share with just anyone, or will we let them go like a pleasant thought gone awry? Peace comes after a tough fight, and freedom is never free as we must be vigilant to protect ourselves whenever the harm draws near, no matter where or when, even in our dreams. Ghosts only matter if we pay attention to them, other wise they eventually go away into a shadow of our former selves. Take heart, always look forward, and never let hope take you back where the pain made you less than the beautiful human being that you were meant to be. Have faith, grow from the rain that once poured out upon you, and know that love is kind, forgiving, and patient over time.
God bless.
Witt

Foul Weather

A few thoughts:
It is that strange time of year when the weather cannot seem to decide what it wants to do, but then here in Ohio that is pretty much common place. So I sit here listening to a storm slowly pass overhead, and I begin to wonder how thankful I am that a little rain has come to dissipate some of the extreme heat of the last couple of days. You know, it is kind of funny to think that we close up the windows, turn on the air conditioning, and then find ourselves shivering inside with a blanket. Perhaps that is not the case with everyone, especially me as I have closed up the windows, but have no air conditioning to turn up. This old house stays pretty cool with ceiling fans going, and having a basement underneath. So it's 80 degrees, but it beats 93.
I am reminded of other kinds of heat, and foul weather, the kind that creeps in to wreak havoc on our personal lives like financial problems, relationships​ gone sour, or other  issues that steal away some of the joy in life that we were meant to experience. It is not everyday that we get to see a child being born, or a son graduate from high school, but we cannot allow one little storm cloud, or heat wave to take away from the ordinary things like watching a storm cross the sky. It is OK to let the rain fall so that we may feel the cooling affect that naturally occurs after the storm. I still wish sometimes that I could turn on the air, and crawl beneath a secure blanket when the heat gets too high, but then, what do I learn from that? How can I change the weather of my discontented heart if  I always reach for the simple solution? It is hard not to dive under the covers, get angry, or blame others for our misfortune when simply closing up the windows, and turning​ on the ceiling fan will do. Now, I leave the rest to you. Joy is a simple choice to let go, and let God, or simply stew in our own foul weather. God bless.
Witt

Strange Walls

Four Strange Walls

I embrace quiet
Like I enjoy a falling star
It burns so bright
As it streaks across the sky
And I wonder why
It has to disintegrate
Leaving no impression behind
But a memory
While silence can be broken
Sending shivers down my spine.

If quiet was a commodity
And fallen stars like gold
I'd be rich beyond all measure
Yet I feel like getting old
Is a mere collection
Of burned out stars
Waiting to shine again
And silence is a memory
Noone needs to hold
Any longer than they have to.

For there are days
I long to hear
Children laughing
Instead of
My cuckoo clock ticking
And four strange walls
of nothing.

D.A. Wittler 17'

Stranger Things In Mind

Perfect Stranger

It is getting late,
and I'd rather wait for morning,
than let the pill I took
Steal away the moment
When words redeem me
of my sorrows..

So says the maniac

Living in my head

Who took a chance

And became a perfect stranger

When friendship was the answer

He could not see the harm done

In keeping silent

While rage engulfed hope in flames

Driving love, and all to desperation

Leaving behind a lonely restlessness​

And potential for danger

Where everyone loses

Even the wife

Of a perfect stranger.

You may find me different

Because that's the way I am

Don't judge me by my anger

I am a perfect stranger

Who plays his hand

And loses more than not

He never learned to be a winner

Being lost between extremes

Is his normal state of mind.

Looking for my character

Paralyzed by fear

A dream took me to extremes

Where I saw my brother

Wreaking havoc like a game

And children wear their fame

To bed in shame

Dreaming of that perfect stranger

Who settles for labels

Pills and doctor’s orders

Exchanging innocence for blame

Like that maniac in his brain

Who is merely that perfect stranger

Going to extremes again.

You may find me different

Because that's the way I am

Don't judge me by my anger

I am a perfect stranger

Who plays his hand

And loses more than not

He never learned to be a winner

Being lost between extremes

Is his normal state of mind.

D.A. Wittler 17’