Deacon

You captured my heart

And have stolen it away

So it is my duty now

To always stop and pray

For blessings in life

On each incoming day

You are precious to me
And always will stay

12/18/14 - ALJ

Smile

How do you get through it all?

The demanding photo crowd

Beckoning, they call your name

As you turn, pose, and wow

All poise and politeness

You bravely enter the street

Ready to put on that smile

And then stop, face, and greet

Day after day the incessant flash

Each time you walk out that door

Never pleased with just one take

The world wants more, more, and more

11/22/2014 – ALJ

FAME

What is it we're fascinated by?
The shouting crowds
And screaming fans
For everyone to know your name

But what is it worth in the end
When those shouts are not all praise
Critiqued by everyone
And nowhere to hide

10/30/2014 - ALJ

Respect & Admiration

It's a beautiful line to walk
But run that road too often
And you'll scare them into shock

All the panting and swooning
Over each little move they make
What is it that we're really doing?

So much time spent thinking
About their daily lives
We soon forget we're scrambling

Trying to befriend the fame
Hoping it rubs off in some way
Getting them to know our name

What changes will it bring?
If we continue to chase them all
Only left with an empty sling

10/30/2014 - ALJ

ANONYMITY

What is it like to lose yourself?

Amongst the crowded streets

With flashing lights and high pitched screams

The non-stop parade of pics to sign

What is it like to have to duck and hide?

Running to not be seen

Looking for peace and quiet

And never finding rest in your day-to-day routine

The rumors they start

Everyone needs to know

Who you’re with at every moment

But don’t worry about the why

They’ve got that all figured out

Just working to write your life for you

How do you keep ahold of yourself?

When the world wants to control

All the events and memories of your day

Is it scary to think?

That so many know your face

Plastering it on their walls and screens

It’s a high price you pay

And you may never be the same

But we thank you, we the crazy fans

For helping us live just a little bit

In the shine of your spotlight

10/28/2014 – ALJ

Beautiful

I once thought you called me beautiful

But it doesn’t matter much now

What I remember, you have forgotten

Maybe it didn’t happen some how

Yet the memory lives on

In my mind it plays out as a scene

A beautiful smiling moment

That exists only as a dream

I once thought you called me beautiful

And it doesn’t matter somehow

Because that moment belongs to me
You can’t have it back, not now

10/26/2014 - ALJ

Play the Part

I can play my part
Right from the start
All grins and smiles
It will last for awhile
But if you stay
You just might may
See another side of me
If you let me just be

10/25/2014 - ALJ

Alone

It's easy being alone
You get used to it
Not worrying about others
or the fun you might miss
You're not expecting anything
so you become content without bliss

With friends and others
there is always the chance you'll be
left out of something
But on your own, you can run free
doing the things you enjoy
but it often does get lonely

A solitary life seems so good at times
yet its with others that I can share my joy
so though I yearn to run and hide
I'll do my best to fit in and stay
Release the pressure and don't speak
just soak it all in and save it for another day

10/14/14 - ALJ

Balance Beam

Often at times, there’s a struggle inside

A part of me that can’t sit still

It squirms and it wiggles

Antsy to move on

To bigger and better things

But then there’s this blob

That won’t move at all

And sits and digs its heels in

Stuck like a lump

No changes will it make

It’s just too much work

To balance them both

And figure it all out

What to change and what to keep same

It’s an endless task

To fulfill each act

Like walking an endless balance beam

9/18/14 - ALJ

Complexities of a Simple World

Complexities of a simple world
the struggle to slow down
as idleness turns round and round

Enjoy the moments we have
take them all in
never knowing which will be our last

Be prepared for everything
but expect nothing in the end.

Why do we fight so hard
for a battle we cannot win?

What is the purpose of it now
after we leave it all behind?

Will we ever know the final meaning
or ever truly understand why?

We've made this life harder than before
the simple complexities that hold our lives in place
only make it that much harder to bear

Let's go back then to the beginning
when there wasn't such excess.

Rules and challenges, it was all about the day
and just getting to the next and not looking back
but so many worries are up ahead

And so the simple becomes boring and old
we're never satisfied.

Our lives can seem meaningless
unless we capture those moments;
But too much time spent staring and reliving
brings nothing good in the end.

We rely on others to bring us joy
and tell ourselves we'll be happy with them;
Yet they're struggling too in the same ways
just to keep afloat with a smile on their face.

While we try to cling, we eventually drown
pulling each other just further down.

It's an endless cycle that we're swimming in
as we swirl the drain
falling towards a bitter, lonely end

We need someone outside to pull us up and out
one great enough to fill us with joy
though the world despairs

He's reaching out
and He's got ahold of you.

Just don't pull away.

9/10/2014 - ALJ

Wonder

These are the times when I sit and wonder why

When the world seems so lonely and cold

But many options that I have to choose

It doesn’t make a difference without you

I sit and ponder it all over again

Why am I so alone while the world is paired up

When my friends have so many things to do

Growing older I see many younger than me

Find those to spend quality time

Time to waste away together

I yearn for it so though I may have to accept

That your plan for me is not to be loved

By a man all my own to have and to hold

It’s a hard thing to grasp and to own

That I may never be loved by a man

Though alone I may be, unloved I am not

But it’s hard to feel the hugs that are sent

From a Father from above that loves me it is true

Yet this body I reside in craves an actual touch

To be held and caressed and to be loved no less

Lord I pray and I find that I’m sad and resigned

To ever be fraught over this

The wish for joy and the hope for marriage bliss

It’s not a guarantee, maybe not for me

But I’ll pray every day that I’ll feel your love

9/9/2014 – ALJ

- Date Unknown -

capture these moments
better write them down
if not then
they may never be found
- ALJ -

Normal Things with Odd Feelings

like sending a text and waiting for a response
the reply and time to wait and see
making excuses and reasons it takes
so much longer, this wait starts to feel great
it's only a message, an answer to a question
but there's more to those words
and you hope and you cling
worried and nervous about such a simple thing
the stress that aligns with this odd feeling
makes you feel not so normal, but it's real all the same

8/29/2014 -- ALJ

With Me

As summer slows and fades to fall

I find myself here, contemplating it all

The life I want versus the life I lead

Not knowing yet what I truly need

My needs are met, that’s safe to say

But still I wonder more and more each day

What are the plans that you have in store?

What’s waiting just behind that door?

Each day I wake, open, and walk through

Ever looking for some guidance from you

To carry me safely down this winding path

As I reach for the happiness within my grasp

Lord, give me patience to find it soon

And never may I stumble too far from you

Within your arms, I choose to stay

Be with me now and each coming day

8/28/2014 – ALJ