Ward
Stories
Organized
by Dan Frey
Two
poets are featured in the summer 2015 edition of ward stories: Craig
R. Bayer and Sheryl.
Craig describes his hot and cold relationship toward the King of the
Universe and Sheryl's song encourages her (and all women) to be
strong. Enjoy.
Untitled
Poem
By
Craig R. Bayer
God
You’ve blessed me with so much
A loving family
A privileged background
Charismatic rabbis
Great teachers and professors
A joyful and carefree youth
Yet you’ve seemingly cursed me, too
My family was ultimately cynical about religion and it stifled my early attempt at zealotry
You crippled my mother with mental illness
Took away my kindergarten playmate Teri (whom I thought I was destined to marry yet she declined to attend my bar mitzvah)
Deprived me of sex until I was in my twenties
Made a joke out of my attempts to find a career
Yet you saved me that postgraduate summer in Boston
When this bold artist and revolutionary couldn’t find a decent job or pay the rent
The stress was so intense that my ears heard the slightest of sounds
I was depressed and virtually psychotic
I thought I was under surveillance
My anger turned me from a peaceful democratic socialist into a potentially violent Marxist-Leninist
But then I read the biography of Martin Luther King: “Bearing the Cross”
And it described how his faith in You gave him comfort, direction and strength
And I gave my mind and soul back to You
And my inner turmoil subsided…
From that point on, it’s been a journey about how to properly serve You and the people
Should I remain a Jew
Or go Christian or Buddhist?
What if I don’t want to accept that Jesus is your son or that the world is what it is?
Should I give up Marxism, embrace capitalism?
Should I be a professor or rabbi or journalist or hack?
I always fall back on being Marxist Jew and poet
But I think that my journey will never ever be complete
All I know is that I need You for my sanity
Because secular life turned out to be bankrupt and traumatic.
You’ve blessed me with so much
A loving family
A privileged background
Charismatic rabbis
Great teachers and professors
A joyful and carefree youth
Yet you’ve seemingly cursed me, too
My family was ultimately cynical about religion and it stifled my early attempt at zealotry
You crippled my mother with mental illness
Took away my kindergarten playmate Teri (whom I thought I was destined to marry yet she declined to attend my bar mitzvah)
Deprived me of sex until I was in my twenties
Made a joke out of my attempts to find a career
Yet you saved me that postgraduate summer in Boston
When this bold artist and revolutionary couldn’t find a decent job or pay the rent
The stress was so intense that my ears heard the slightest of sounds
I was depressed and virtually psychotic
I thought I was under surveillance
My anger turned me from a peaceful democratic socialist into a potentially violent Marxist-Leninist
But then I read the biography of Martin Luther King: “Bearing the Cross”
And it described how his faith in You gave him comfort, direction and strength
And I gave my mind and soul back to You
And my inner turmoil subsided…
From that point on, it’s been a journey about how to properly serve You and the people
Should I remain a Jew
Or go Christian or Buddhist?
What if I don’t want to accept that Jesus is your son or that the world is what it is?
Should I give up Marxism, embrace capitalism?
Should I be a professor or rabbi or journalist or hack?
I always fall back on being Marxist Jew and poet
But I think that my journey will never ever be complete
All I know is that I need You for my sanity
Because secular life turned out to be bankrupt and traumatic.
Who
You Are
By
Sheryl
It's
hard to be optimistic
Looking though an aged mirror
Not seeing the girl
I used to know
The smile hiding inside
Somewhere like a rose
Its leaves die
Looking though an aged mirror
Not seeing the girl
I used to know
The smile hiding inside
Somewhere like a rose
Its leaves die
People say your pessimistic
Why can't you see the glass half full?
You would rather tip it over
Cry out yesterday a river
Distress eustress
Negative and positive
Where is the empowerment of
the
woman you use to be?
Has generativity after the break up
Confused you on commitment
Are you quality?
Chorus:
Procrastination will not bring you anything
What you're waiting for
It's time to open the door to today
Perfectionism is hard to attain in the past
The clock on the wall
Stop forgetting who you are
Who you are?
Has generativity after the break up
Confused you on commitment
Are you quality?
Chorus:
Procrastination will not bring you anything
What you're waiting for
It's time to open the door to today
Perfectionism is hard to attain in the past
The clock on the wall
Stop forgetting who you are
Who you are?
|
Stop
meditation on the past You should be glad that it past Hypnosis on one guy Why wait and listen To the stranger's feedback They all are lies Why treat them like cognitive self talk Can you see the lack of self-esteem Keep your mind on who you are Rather than what people think you do Only you know the truth. Distress eustress Negative and positive Where is the empowerment of the woman you used to be? Has generativity after the break-up confused you on commitment Are you quality? Chorus: Procrastination will not bring you anything What are you waiting for It's time to open the door to today Perfectionism is hard to attain in the past The clock on the wall, stop forgetting who you are Who you are? |
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