To Live is Christ

Henry David Thoreau once wrote "To be awake is to be alive." One can take this to mean that sleep is related to death, or that one truly doesn't live when one is lethargic, lazy, and just sleeps all the time. Considering this, what does it mean to truly live?

At the college spring retreat this weekend, the topic covered was Philippians chapter 1. The apostle Paul is writing to the Philippians while he is in prison. He is not in a distraught state, but is rather joyful. This is because he knew what it meant to live. Paul wrote "For to me to live is Christ..." Christ had called him higher and deeper and he had answer that call.

There are many Christians and non-Christians alike who still don't realize this because they build so many walls and feel to insecure to tear them down. "I have to work overtime so my boss will finally give me a promotion so I can make more money." Wall. "I must buy this ridiculously expensive piece of clothing because I need to stay with the "in" crowd otherwise I'd die." Wall. "Sports matter more than spending time with the saints, the Bible, the church, etc." Wall. "I can't preach the gospel because I'm not good at it." Wall. Even when we finally begin to take one wall down, three more spring up in it's place. It took 28 years for the Berlin Wall to be torn down. Twenty-eight years! Look at it this way. To live is Christ, which is something so wonderful it is beyond compare. But because of the walls we put up, we cannot have this wonderful thing. That's like missing some of the greatest moments of your life because there's a wall in the way.

To be called by Christ is a gift. To answer the call is you chipping away at that wall. To go higher and deeper into that call is to tear those walls down and to live. To live is Christ.

For the Love of the Game

Before 2014 graced us with its presence, I recall telling many people how excited I was for this year in sports. Whoa! Hold on a minute. Don't quit reading now for those of you who can't stand or read sports talk. Trust me you'll enjoy this and it isn't like anything ESPN bombards you with.

I am excited for this year because along with baseball being back in season soon, 2014 is special because the winter Olympics return tomorrow (events before the opening ceremony. Weird right?) and the World Cup returns this summer. So any average sports fan would be even mildly enthused right? Well some of you who may not like to watch sports or even soccer for that matter, will tune in for the Olympics and maybe the world cup. Why? Because for the Olympics, it's that pride and patriotism you have in your country that compels you to join the world in watching as athletes compete on the national stage. Most of the events at these games are ones that aren't as heavily followed or broadcast as football, basketball, baseball, and hockey. Yet they are games you participated in through high school, you gave up your Friday nights, Saturday afternoons, and even the occasional Sunday to compete. Why? For the love of the game. Watching sports on TV may bore you, but the feel of that Frisbee as it leaves your hand, or the sound of the ref signaling you have pinned your opponent, or even resounding smack of that volley ball nailing the gym floor for the match point all are factors that drive us to play the game.

Where did all this inspiration come from? I recently read a short story about a father who would one day tell his son why sports mean so much to him. He put it like this: "It's about eye-black, stickum, and pine tar. It's fourth and goal, first and long, and John 3:16...It's about divots, brush-burns, the Miracle on Ice, and Lions, and Tigers, and Bears (Oh My!)...ballpark franks, checkered flags, and if you ain't rubbin' you aint racin'. It's about sudden death, extra innings, and being behind the eight ball; the Green Monster, Wrigley Ivy, and Yankee pinstripes; goal line stands, the terrible towel, and the Dog Pound...It's about playing umpteen games of P-I-G and around the world in your driveway until you finally beat your older brother. It's the smell of your first baseball glove, the feel of your first lucky bat, and the sound of your mother cheering at your first football game. In short it's about the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, and everything in between." (shortened version) ~William Wilczewski

I could add so much more to this list, especially Todd Hamilton calling 42 year-old Jason Giambi's two out walk off home run to keep the Indians wild card hopes alive. But I think you already got the point.

An example of my beginning statements is this. As I mentioned, the World Cup is happening this summer. I will be honest. I don't watch professional soccer, I don't follow professional soccer, and most of the time don't care about professional soccer. But if you came up to me and asked me to play a game myself, I'd strap on a pair of cleats and say when and where? So why so much interest in the world cup? Because soccer is the world's game. It's the one time every four years that your country gets to prove that they are the best in front of the world. It's about pride, honor, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

So tomorrow when the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia officially begin, I will be keeping a close eye on the action with the rest of the world and cheering the good ole USA onto victory no matter what sport; whether it be hockey or curling. All for the love of the game. GO USA!

Another Year, New Hopes, Same Dreams

I semi-promised I would make a new year post, so I'm fulfilling that promise now. I wish I could've done it sooner, but to tell you the truth, life as an adult is busy and ain't always easy. As each new year creeps upon me, I begin to realize more and more how short life truly is and how quickly it can fly by. I can't believe my Christian internship started two and a half years ago, that I started college 4 and 1/3 years ago, that the first Vision week conference was nearly 7 years ago...etc. I still feel as is I'm in 2011 and that's the way it has been since 2009. So 3 years feels like one to me. And I hate it. Because as a kid, I really had no schedule, no adult responsibilities, and basically nothing that could prevent me from enjoying life. I also had no flashy, ringing robot in my pocket, no magic box that spewed forth captivating pictures upon a screen, heck I didn't even have cyber spider web. What I had was a woods, a tree swing, climbing trees, a football, a soccer ball, a sleek black Huffy Bike, a sled, a basketball, roller blades, kites, and most importantly my imagination.

I've told you in detail in past posts what this wonderful imagination could procure, and looking back there were times I craved those imagination destroying video games and there were many a time I was allowed to play them, but never own them. Because of my limited time, I made individual games last months, even years, unlike the mere days they last now. And today, I am really glad I wasn't raised by video games.

Where am I going with all of this? I am reflecting on the glory days of my youth when life was so much more perfect and without certain distractions that rule today's society, I was able to imagine, to hope, to dream. I had all the time in the world to do so and because of that, I still dream today. That's one of the few things that keeps me going realizing that all this stress and hardship i go through now is for a greater vision. It's so i can take care of the now for the future. So when I have that moment of nothing, I can turn it into everything I've been dreaming of. I not just talking about my own dream...those are a great vision. They may still come in due time. But the reference I'm making is of the greatest vision. The vision of Christ being complete in my life. My dreams coming true are only rewards along the journey to the Greatest Reward.

So what do I want to see for 2014? Well for the first time in my life, I have a plan for more than a year. And for this plan to come to pass, certain goals must be met along the way. One of my biggest non-self dreams for this year is to see over 600 attend Mountain Top. This summer marks the 10 year anniversary of the 1000 attendees at the second MT which was in Cleveland. Those past MTs as a jr high/ high school kid meant a lot to me and even more so with that large group of Christians enjoying the Lord.

I would also love to see high schoolers have the desire to serve, to put the Lord into where they go to college, to realize the need and fulfill it. Let me tell you a story about choosing a college. My dream school was The Ohio State. It is a huge school, with so much going on, an awesome football team/sports atmosphere, a good engineering program, I already knew a bunch of people there, plus there is a local church life right there as well. But I wasn't going to apply to just one school (I wasn't that confident), so I applied to Akron and Cleveland State. Originally, CSU wasn't even in the picture because I had been there all my freshman year of high school because my school was associated with the college. I wasn't a fan of the campus and I saw it basically as a fall back school. During the application process, I knew I had to put the Lord in it otherwise, I may have missed out or messed up something important. A reason why I didn't apply further away was because I wasn't big on spending vast loads of money on travel and housing and college it was a new and nerve shaking time. As I waited for the acceptance letters to arrive, slowly I felt a turn towards CSU, but wasn't fully committed yet.

Within two weeks of applying, CSU sent me a small envelope (which usually means rejected) that contained a letter that had said I had been accepted and contained an offer for a $1500 yearly scholarship because of my high school academics. I was for sure going to college (not that I was worried), but wanted to hear the other responses. It took a month for Akron and two months for OSU, but they both accepted me and Akron offered a yearly$2000 scholarship. I was overjoyed because I was 3-0 and had my OSU acceptance letter. Yet, something still poked at me to go to CSU.

Not that much later, I received an invitation to attend a scholarship competition at CSU. I inquired of the Lord that if I was really meant to go to CSU, I needed a final sign that would make CSU the right choice. I then proceeded to participate in this competition where I had to take a math test and write an essay. The results? The test added another grand to my total and the essay gave me two grand for my first semester. At this point, there was no doubt in my mind that CSU was where I was going. I let the Lord guide me and to this day I do not believe it was the wrong choice. Do I wish I had left and had the OSU experience?...sometimes. Do I regret not going?...Not at all.

So consider that aspect when searching for the right college. Don't just focus on academics and programs and pizzazz, but think about church life, serving, and your walk with the Lord as well. Start the new year off right by letting your worries fall at His feet, His way guide you, and your focus on Him. Here's to a new year in Christ!

And So It Ends: Arrivederci 2013 and Hello 2014

I wanted to make the post a reflection on 2013, but I committed myself to posting most of my works here until the end of the year. Seeing as this is the last day I will be able to post before the new year (because I will be at Empower and The Rock), I am going to finish what I started. That being said, I will make the first post of 2014 a reflection/anticipation post. Without further ado, I give you the final post of my works from all time.

Feral Imp

By Josh Watkins

Inspired by Shel Silverstein

A feral imp came across my stare

I did a double take to find that he wasn't there.

I cursed my weak eyes for missing such a sight,

Oh what I would do to capture one tonight.

What is a feral imp? You challenge my truth?

I’ll do my best, but I am not a sleuth.

He is as slow as a lightning strike, quick as a snail,

He rides raindrops and lassos unruly hail.

He is as tall as a mouse,

And is skinny as a house.

He snatches snitches, flips faulty switches,

Has uncontrollable twitches and backhands witches.

His grin glows in the black,

And is all deserving of a good smack,

But his charm is one of a kind,

Aromatic as a pig’s mud drenched behind.

His craft is that of a thief,

He’ll swipe your spoons, your undies, and beef.

Your pencils, screws, and rubber bands,

Any little thing he can clench in his deceivingly tiny hands.

Still don’t believe me? Fine see if I care.

Your fate will be dealt, but beware,

His antics will cause you to lose your all your hair,

So test his patience if you dare.

Oh look! There he is right here before you,

I told you no lies, it is all true!

Every word I said, he’s like no other.

Wait what’s that you say…Oh I guess you’re right…he is my little brother.

A thought came to me once to write a comical poem about a feral imp. But I needed more than that to give it finesse, flare, zing. So I decided to write it in the same style as Shel Silverstein, a late great comedic poet. 

During my senior year of high school, I took a journalism class and every once in a while during class, my teacher would give us one line and tell us to take 10 minutes and write something based on that line. A certain one in particular, sent me on a journey I never expected to take. The line was "I'm going home with you." Being a romantic I took this as the perfect opportunity to write an ending to a powerful love story. In those ten minutes, this is what I came up with. 

"I am going home with you," she said as she kissed his soft lips. "I want to stay with you forever." "You know I cannot take you with me," he said. "But I don't want to let you go either." The sun was slowly skipping away on the last day of summer. The wind was laughing and dancing as it blew by, releasing its final breaths of warm air. Her fingers crept along the leather seats and slowly interlaced with his. "This summer has changed me a lot," she said. "It's the best I have been in a long time." "I know," he replied. "I feel the exact same way." He couldn't help but stare into her precious baby blue eyes and see the life that was in her. His heart was throbbing, his arms were shaking, yet his eyes remained fixed upon her. 

"Let's just drive," she said. "let the road lead us to our future." She kissed him again. She watched him grow from a young weak little boy into a strong and loving man. From the moment she saw him, she knew he was the one. A screech broke the unwavering silence as a great bald eagle soared above them. She smiled as he put his arm around her waist. Then, putting the car into drive, he turned to her and said "Alright, I am with you, you are my life."He kissed her once more. As they began to disappear beyond the horizon, two snow-white doves flew in unison in the silhouette of the sun.

Being the goody-goody student that I was, when the teacher asked me to share it with the class, I did, but with a little hesitation. If you recall the I Love You For the First Time piece and how I mentioned I had read a romantic piece in front of a group of people before, well this was it. The problem was that there were 24 students in that class (including me) and 23 of them were girls. Let me tell you that to do that took some serious guts. Lets just say that the room was speechless in awe and I couldn't believe I did that. But I had to know for sure if it was worth going further. So I put it on facebook and got an amazing response. I decided that I was going to write the rest of the story.

I took me a little over one year to complete, but I wrote a 154 page word document story that had a total of 66 "chapters" and each one was posted facebook. It was by far my greatest project and I couldn't believe I had written that much. It could be considered a book. As a special treat, I am going to post the first chapter here, and if you want to read the rest, you will have to check my notes on facebook and read it all yourself. or ask me and I'll see about getting you the entire thing. On a side note, The ending is different then that 10 minute paragraph above because I didn't have everything in my head and made it up as I went along. Also I may publish it one day and am fully aware that it needs a lot of editing, but as you read further into it, the writing gets much better.

 “She’s so beautiful,” he thought to himself as she passed by. He had been watching her for weeks now. It was Sunday evening and he was sitting in the park, watching nature run its course. He was sitting on an old faded bench. In fact, it was the very bench he was sitting on when he first noticed her. He had seen her at the Sunday morning meetings and knew she took occasional walks through the nearby park. He couldn’t shift his gaze every time she walked by. There was just something about this girl he couldn’t quite figure out. Was it her angelic face? Was it her long, golden hair? Her baby blue eyes? The way she said hello? He didn’t know what it was, but what he did know is that his heart wouldn’t let her get away. “Maybe I should tell her,” he thought. “How would she react? What would she say?” 

These thoughts weaved in and out of his mind until he was interrupted by a loud barking. He looked up and saw a golden retriever chasing some confused and terrified pigeons. Running frantically behind the dog was a distraught girl, but not just any girl; it was the one who had captured his heart. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things, and then realizing that this was his chance, he leaped off the bench with ease and flew toward the wayward dog. The retriever, thinking that strange person running toward him wanted to play, stopped chasing the pigeons and charged full speed towards him. Knowing that he needed to catch this dog, he did not break his pace. When the dog was only feet from him, he whistled which made the dog slow a little a turn sharply. At the last possible second, he made a dive and caught the dog’s leash with his fingertips. The dog, caught by surprised, yelped and tried to get away. He walked slowly to the dog and put his hand to the dog’s nose so the dog could sniff it. Seeing the human was harmless, the dog laid down by his feet. “Thank you so much!” she said as she ran up to him breathless. “Buddy is such a handful sometimes, but he gives me plenty of exercise.” “He is a good-looking dog,” he replied. “I see you like to bring Buddy here often.” “Yeah”, she said, “I’ve been going to this park since I was little, it is so well kept and it is peaceful.” “It is beautiful,” he said. “You go to my church don’t you?” she asked “Yes I do,” he replied. “Well I have to get going,” she said. “My Chemistry professor isn’t making it easy and her tests are killer. I’ll see you later.” “Yeah I’ll see you,” he said. She then turned and jogged off with the retriever pulling her along. 
Once again lost in a trance, he just stood there and watched her disappear. His head was spinning and his heart was thumping. “She is so breath-taking,” he thought. “I didn’t even ask for her number. Shoot.” He began to turn and head for home when something shiny caught his eye. There on the ground, half-hidden by dead leaves, was a charm necklace, and imprinted on it was her name. His eyes began to twinkle as he realized he had a second perfect opportunity; twice in one day! The sun was going down and darkness was settling in fast. “I can’t take it to her now,” he thought. As he headed home, he could hear her voice singing to him through the midnight air.

One last thing. I wanted to end this escapade with the poem that asks you where do you wander? This is where my life has taken me and y'all experienced some of that journey through my writings. Now the question becomes, how about you? I have posted this here before, but after it I will give an explanation of it.

Where Do You Wander?

By Josh Watkins

Upon what path do your feet trod O dreamer?

Describe to me the details of its splendor.

Do you walk upon a short, dust-filled path?

Where many have stepped before?

Do you wander upon briers long and twisted as the eye sees fit?

Is thy path endless, dark and bleak?

Laden with scorching coals and embers rare?

Are your feet scarred and slashed by stones forever encased in the dirt?

Is your breath restrained for fear of avalanche?

Or can you see the Artist’s horizon?

Where do thy toes dangle?

Off the gleaming bricks shaped of gold?

Off the prism’s guarded treasure?

How far down your path does your will desire?

Will you reach its end or will you die along the way?

Is your path lined with roses of red, daisies of yellow, lilies of lavender?

Do notes of melody swarm your destination?

Does the star of fire kiss your skin?

Tell me O dreamer and please my ears,

Are you trapped upon a road carved with lies?

Do you wander in deceit?

Are your feet bound by guilt and slowed by shame?

Prove me wrong! Silence my persistent questioning!

Tell me that you walk along the Way,

That you are running to the Truth,

That you have discovered the route of Eternal Life.

So many paths awaiting your step,

So many vanities at each end.

Yet one and only one will satisfy your dreams.

This is the path Hope,

This is the path of Life,

This is the path of Salvation,

This is the path of Jesus Christ.

I wander this path.

Where do your feet trod O dreamer?

The beginning asks you "Where are you going?" Then it hints suggestively about places you could be going to maybe get you to notice yourself. The first asks if you are going with the flow and following others footsteps and not your own. Then it asks if your path is dark, dangerous, if you can even see where you are going. Next, it inquires of if you are timid or can you see God's beauty. Is your path golden? Do you wander a colorful path full of hope (prism's guarded treasure=rainbow)? Is the path you walk one you'll reach the end of? Is it peaceful, harmonic, warm-fuzzy-feeling-like? Are you tricked? Gullible? Living a lie? Or are you walking along the one True path. The path that leads to hope, peace, love, salvation, and eternity. As the poem ends, "That is the path of Jesus Christ."  

And so ends this experiment/project. I really do hope y'all enjoyed it and I am glad I followed the urge to share it all with you. There are more writings, but those are personal and private to me and are not ready for the world to see yet. Maybe one day. Until then keep dreaming, shoot for those dreams, fight for those dreams, come to know Christ, follow Christ, and embrace everything He is and everything He has to offer. Here's to another great year and here's to looking forward to what 2014 has to offer. Praise God! 

Country Music's Finest

A Tribute to a Country Great

By Josh Watkins

         

          Here I sit On the Coast of Somewhere Beautiful, pondering a certain thought; a thought that Makes Me Wonder quite often. I sit on this beach with a Pirate Flag and The Good Stuff, along with Dreams dancing in my mind. These images are of someone who I could say that You Had Me From Hello. As I relax in an Old Blue Chair I could honestly say that Life is Good and I Never Wanted Nothin’ More.

I think about my future Down the Road, but first I Go Back and I see myself In a Small Town. It’s Summertime, there are Guitars and Tiki Bars, and around here Time Flies. I’m Living in Fast Forward while wearing nothing but a pair of swim trunks. No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems. This must be How Forever Feels.

An old man sits in the corner of a nearby bar, playing a guitar and singing about life Somewhere in the Sun and his glory days with Beer in Mexico and a Keg in the Closet. I toss a few bucks into his guitar case and say “Sing Em’ Good My Friend.” He nodded his head in gratitude and when he finished his song he motioned me to Come Over. I pulled up a pile of sand and he offered me some advice I will never forget.

He told me of his story of a love long ago; a beautiful girl who dreamed of being a Big Star. He met her on El Cerrito Place and said “From the moment I saw her, I knew she was Anything But Mine. She was ambitious, a go-getter, and was destined for California. Yet, I was determined and a good friend of mine told me the only thing I could do was ‘Be As You Are.’ Soon after, she let me become a part of her life. Like most kids, we were Young and dumb and I was facing the Reality of becoming a father. All I could think was ‘There Goes My Life.’”

He then told me that the mother chose Hollywood over her child and that she was Better As a Memory. The only thing that mattered to him was his blonde-haired, blue-eyed little girl. The old man had a twinkle in his eye and said “My advice is this; keep that lass over there close, Live a Little, and most importantly, Don’t Blink.”

Those words still ring throughout my heart as I daily Live Those Songs. Now whenever I look into those twinkling eyes and see that loving smile, I tell her that it’s Always Gonna Be You.

I wrote this piece this past summer in tribute to one of my favorite country music artists of all time...Kenny Chesney. This story is completely fictitious and is composed of his song titles and some of my favorites. 

If you don't like country music, fine. Just read it for the writing. And hey, if you let me, I can change your mind about country music. I've successfully done so to three people. 

As a special treat, here's the link to my favorite Chesney Christmas song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwojekKN9OE Merry Christmas!

Blow Your Mind Open

Special Note: Please don't read the description after the poem until you have your own thoughts of what each aspect means. This piece is meant to expand your imagination. Build your own ideas first before building off my actual thoughts. Prepare to open your mind!

Open Your Mind

By Josh Watkins

Chocolate rivers flow from the serenity of an eagle’s cliff,

The taste of key-lime pie lingers on my lips.

Rare is the wind that carries the flagship’s sail,

Enthralled by the complex vision of the artist’s easel.

An epic turned tragedy by a lion’s roar,

For words confound emotion, but the sword smites the heart.

Amber waves of grain cover the camel’s back,

And fruited sands conceal the diamond’s glow.

A shuttle on a star cooks an omelet well,

Bacon eases the tension of even the giant’s nerves.

The man whose coat shines is ruled by the man whose house is made of stone,

And whose floors are colder than ice,

Yet his path is constructed by beauty’s blissful attraction.

A blue shirt destroys gloom’s dull allure,

Foreseeing the black army swarm the green sea.

A leprechaun’s hat conceals the fire about to ensue,

Yet the gold is as safe as a roach in a monk’s sanctuary.

Poison barbs from the writer’s pen,

Shatter the mirrors of time while distorting the chronicle’s hue.

The doe’s fawn makes the red berry bleed,

And the sandman’s bag is full of rocks.

Algorithms know no numbers, only letters and trolls,

Weary is the spoon whose course no silver flows.

Shoelaces taste like Twizzlers coated in sugar,

A typhoon’s waves hold the key to the monkey’s laugh.

Toe-jam and peanut butter make a good sand-witch,

Yet she is saltier than a soft pretzel in July.

Throngs of thieves thwart the gumshoe’s thoughts,

Bands of bees bite the donkey’s bum.

This tale ends where the end begins to end the beginning.   

The idea for this piece came from a sporadic event that happened during my Christian internship. A fellow intern name Julian Taylor decided to bombard another fellow intern (Grace Wang) with random texts and got others (including myself) to participate in it. For those that know me, I like to be random at times and I thoroughly enjoyed messing with Grace. Then I got the idea to let the randomness in my mind flow and put it on paper...yet it wasn't all random as you will find out.

There are three aspects to this piece. The first is that some series of lines have a unified thought, meaning they describe one thing with a series of pictures. The second is that one line describes one thing, but has no connection to anything else. The third and final aspect is that some of these lines have absolutely no meaning and can be whatever you want. Now that you know the code, let's see how you fared with "expanding your mind."

Chocolate serenity flows from the eagle's cliff: This is just a few of my favorite things meshed in a poetic rhyme. Chocolate, eagle, and serenity. Another way I saw it was a giant, sparkling, chocolate waterfall flowing from a cliff where an eagle calls home. Hey it's my imagination, I'll do with it as I please.

Key Lime Pie: I was craving key lime pie.

Flagship and Artist's Easel: A vast and mighty warship, the kind in the days of the pirates, fresh out of the dock, and it's the flagship of a fleet bound for war, but the captain halts the fleet. The wind is absent. What caused an adrenaline raging war monster to halt? The complex vision of the Artist's easel. The captain saw the beauty in the sky created by the setting sun colliding with the sea. God's artistic eye for creating the beauty in a simple sunset, halted even the mightiest life-taking force.

Epic turned tragedy by lion's roar: Epic and tragedy are both literary types. The Illiad and Odyssey are epics and Oedipus Rex is a tragedy. A lion's roar is strong, powerful, meant to be feared. This line means that the best of things are turned to the worst of things by the mightiest voice around. The roar of the critics, the crowd, and the people. Governments have been overthrown, empires have been toppled, and harmony has been shattered.

Words/emotion sword/heart: Emotion expresses itself and sometimes there are no words to describe that feeling and using words may only make the emotion worse (hence the roar). However, words are powerful and can take the place of a physical sword. Words can damage the heart.

Camel/diamonds: This was a totally random way to describe the back of a camel...or the amber waves of grain are the plants that cover a mountain (camel's humps) which contains fruited sands (crushed minerals) that bury diamonds deep in the earth where the sun light can't reach them and reveal the diamond's shining power.

Shuttle, Omelet, bacon, giant: These are facts of wisdom. If you want an omelet cooked quickly and well, take it on a space ship and land on a star. The heat from a star will cook an omelet well. Bacon is so good that even an angry giant will calm down if you give him it.

The man whose coat shines + next two lines: This is a complex portrayal of a knight. Shiny coats of armor are what knights wear. The man whose house is made of stone is a king in his castle. The knight only has one path; to rescue a damsel in distress (beauty's blissful attraction).

Blue Shirt/Black Army/Green Sea: I wanted to use color to make simple things seem profound. Blue is an amazing color. The sky is blue, the sea (depending on where you are) is blue, the base of a hot fire is blue, most babies eyes start out blue, etc. So someone who is down notices a person wearing a blue shirt can't help but smile. Blue is awesome. In this case it is a sad little boy wearing a blue shirt, but he sees a colony of ants (black army) racing into the grass (green sea) and it totally makes his day.

Leprechaun/Monk's sanctuary: Leprechaun's are supposed to have red hair and when they get angry (like someone stealing their gold) I imagine it bursting into non-quenching flames, but his hat hides that. As far as I know, no one has ever acquired a leprechaun's gold. Roaches are among the world's most loathed bugs, but monks believe in the quality of all life, therefore any living thing that enters their sanctuary will not be harmed. So a leprechaun's gold is extremely safe.

Poison/Time/Chronicles: Like I said before, words are powerful. Not all good comes from them, even writing them down. Hateful and deadly words can be written and because they are, they can change people's opinions (changing the outcomes of history) and in doing so, mess up a perfectly sound chronology by turning it from a colorful hope to a black outcome.

Doe's fawn/Sandman: A baby deer eats a strawberry and its juice flows out. What is sand? Crushed rock. So if you think about it, the sandman's bag is truly full of rocks...maybe some un-crushed ones ended up in his bag hence the nightmares...imagination is a wonderful thing.

Algorithms: My experience with these is that they are mostly annoying symbols and Greek letters that you spend hours trying to solve hence the trolling of your mind.

Weary spoon: Think about it. If you have a stainless steel spoon, it is used and washed every week (maybe every day) therefore it is weary. But a silver spoon will be kept in a set, most likely in a felt case behind glass.

Shoelaces of Twizzler flavor: This is just silliness inspired by Shel Silverstein's poem If the World Was Crazy. He says he'd wear licorice shoes if the world was crazy, so I imagined sugar coated Twizzler shoelaces.

A typhoon's waves/monkey's laugh: Monkeys love mischief. They are usually in the vicinity of danger, but never close enough to be harmed. So I imagine a typhoon destroying beach houses and the monkeys screeching in terror or howling with laughter. A little dark I know, but hey it could be truth.

Toe-jam/soft pretzel: This is playing with play-on words. Toe-jam is an actual disease, but here it sounds like a spread that a vile creature would eat (a witch) and you put it on a sand-witch (sandwich or witch covered in sand). Yet this witch, even though sandy, is salty (grumpy or bitter). To describe how salty, I used the soft pretzel in July image. Those are scrumptious  by the way.

Throngs of Thieves and Bands of Bees: This is alliteration at it's finest. Alliteration is where the beginning syllables of most words in a single sentence sound the same. In this case I took two simple pictures and put them into alliteration. Thieves eluding a detective trying to find them and bees harassing a donkey.

Now after your mind has been put to the most extensive labor it has in a long time, the biggest puzzle comes in the last line. I'm going to leave the mystery of this line for you to solve. Here is your only hint: some of the stuff in that line is just noise and will help you narrow down the meaning if you eliminate it.

I had a lot of fun writing this and could write another one ten times longer. But I would need motivation to do so. Remember, imagination is a terrible thing to waste. With all the technology trapping today's kids and the lack of help from parents who allow their children to be consumed by it, it's hard to use something so magical. Imagination leads to dreams. Dreams lead to hope. Hope leads to striving. Striving leads to success. Success leads to reality.

The Lady in Black

The Lady in Black

By Josh Watkins

Saw the thunder coming, but heard no rain.

Watched the rage build, but the wrath never came.

Felt like it was going to judge me, but I bore no shame.

Totally lost all sense of reality, because of this dame.

A whisper was all it took, to turn my deaf ear,

Its silenced drum could now hear the drop of a tear.

Punches came flying in from the rear,

Hot was the flame that gave my poor heart a sear.

The femme fatale was my only crutch,

Chased every beauty and such,

Some say she had stolen way too much,

But I couldn't resist her irresistible touch.

The sirens wailed and screamed,

The people scolded as I only dreamed,

One kind soul told me I was going to get creamed,

Hope was slim and love was bleak…or so it seemed.

Stood there as the hail hit my face,

Unflinching as my flesh scattered all over the place,

Wondering if when it was over there’d be even a trace,

Would I be the hero or just a forgotten disgrace?

For years the storms brewed a threatening force,

With demons leading the charge on a black horse,

I stood alone on the hellish course,

And it was love’s ache that created the source.

Fire and brimstone barred my way,

The naysayers spewed many a nay,

She will consume your very being they say,

But through hell and back is the price I’m willing to pay.

They came in angry droves and masses,

Waving their steel and firing their brasses,

The air was thicker than a lake of molasses,

Not even a fly by here it passes.

Through the gloom I saw her there,

Letting the foul wind carry her hair,

A hundred miles of hell did I dare?

Only for a she, and lady so rare.

Picked up my sword and dashed through the night,

Cutting down the cursed left and right,

Watching them fall, eyes filled with spite,

Not once did I let her out of my sight.

The fire was relentless, causing great pain,

Nearly fell to my knees from a soul driver’s chain,

How I longed for the sky to release its soothing rain,

Fearing I would burn in death’s bottomless drain.

One last devil drew his blade from its hilt,

Forged by a thousand souls of men it was built,

My poor heart was about to dry up and wilt,

At the sight of how much blood that thing had spilt.

From his nostrils poured a cloud of smoke,

Eyes bloodshot as if high on a thousand pounds of coke,

His mighty jaws moved and this he spoke,

“Death awaits you my darling little joke.”

Clutched my blade and leapt towards the sky,

Dodging fireballs as they flew on by,

Swung the steel from my right thigh,

Severing his ugly head…so the body would die.

They howled and shrieked as they were dragged below,

Never again this stranger they would know,

To some far crueler place they would go,

And all I saw was her charming glow.

Stepped out of the clouded mist,

Released the sword clenched in my fist,

Up the hill I walked holding my bruised wrist,

To see the face I could not resist.

There she stood all covered in black,

Not once had I veered from the deadly track,

Nor did I turn my gaze and look back,

I reached for the part of my heart that I lacked.

Before I could speak, her fingers held my lips tight,

She turned to me and matched my sight,

From her mouth came the word of a fragile sprite.

“This fight was not yours wrong or right.”

“I admire your courage to make it all the way through,

The hellish armies sent to destroy you,

But if you wouldn't have been blind and only knew,

There is another. I bid you adieu.”

With those cold words she vanished beyond my gaze,

Left my broken self, there in a daze,

To reach this point even the Legion had to raise,

The once known path now a thorn-marred maze.

My knees hit the earth, heart jabbed by a pin,

Clearly she didn't want this ol’ boy to win,

Returned to her true love; the world and its sin,

And left me there to ponder what could have been.

Here is the third and finale part in my three-part character series. Every once in awhile I begin playing with words and putting them in facebook statuses and deleting them until I find something I like. I started with a storm and wrote the first verse, then it all came to me like a bolt of lightning and I knew it was going to be a poem rather than a measly status update.

There are two different ways to look at this piece. The first is to take it literally. A guy has fallen for a mysterious woman and to get to her he has to fight through a literal horde of demons only to have his ploy be in vain.

Here's the hidden meaning: Both this man and this woman are caught up in dastardly things (in this case prostitution). Eventually, the guy comes to his senses and realizes he is up to his neck in sin and that he needs to get out. Yet, he has fallen in love with this woman. So to save himself and her as well, he battles through his and her spiritual demons (Pre-marital sex, prostitution, drugs, crime, lust, drunkenness, etc). When he reaches he beats them all, he offers her hope. But she is so consumed by her lusts and pleasures that she saw him as nothing more than a money-producing fling and returned to her demons and sins.

In Depth Analysis: The first verse is him "waking up" and realizing all the judgement, punishment, and criticism that should becoming his way. But because he repented, there was no need. Yet his heart still longed for her. The next few verses healthy desire for her and all the people who care about him telling him to walk away. The next two tell of his realization of the slavery he was under and how the attacks of demonic forces only grew when he had finally seen the light.

When he finally chooses to resist the demons, they fight at full force. Steel are swords and brasses are bullet casings. The description of the battle entails the pain he had to endure to overcome two sets of demons (his and hers which included addiction withdraw and desire to fulfill lust). The big demon in the end is her demon that caused her to lose her purity and sleep with hundreds of men. The demon's sword represents all the lives ruined by her actions. Not only the hundreds she slept with, but the families of those men whose lives she damaged. 

Finally, he defeats his demons and enough of hers to actually get her to see the mess they were in. However, in this case, her lust was greater than her desire to enter the light (hence her dressed in all black appearance) and she chose to return to her filth over salvation.

This piece was written to show that even though we try to guide someone into the light, they may refuse it. But no matter how bleak the situation may seem, it shows that we should be willing to go through hell to redeem a person from the hell they are damning themselves to. I've got friends where hope seems lost, and it's been 7+ years since I started fighting for some of them, and almost nothing has changed. Jesus neveer gave up on us so there is no way I'm ever giving up on them. This is a spiritual war that has a great cost, but it totally worth the battle. So pick up that sword and fight. Answer the Call of Duty.