Poems by John Sweet- “in these cupped hands holding nothing” and “theme for the eternal now”

in these cupped hands holding nothing

a sound like christ
denying the pain

a cold sunlit morning filled
with junkie priests and shadow kings

the lie that all of these wars are
different and not tied together by the
same ropes of ignorance
and greed

and it was a mistake
i made once, not numbering
myself among the cowards

it was my father who
showed me the light

knew we might not all be nowhere
but we are all still nothing

we are all the flesh of god left
rotting at the freeway’s edge

can’t spend our lives being afraid
to dig for the humor buried
down underneath
all of that blood-soaked pain

theme for the eternal now

let our blood be a gift,
a song

let peace be
the obvious answer

not picasso, but chagall

not pollock, but tobey

see?

it only ends up being a
lifetime of distance between us

it only ends up being a
mistake followed
by a missed opportunity

a phone call that
no one answers

a letter written but
never sent

and are you someone who
would apologize to
empty space?

are you a better god?

it’s not answers i’m after
here, but actions
it’s an admission of regret,
but then what?

time is the enemy

the future holds the end

you can only admit to
love or deny it

you can only accept

the answer
is this why we spend our
whole lives afraid?

Read more of John’s poetry at The Bleeding Horse, Avenged