RAISE THE RAFTERS
Wake in the morning to a generous chorus
Of soulful robins that pepper the forest.
A few hover near on your windowsill,
And dilemmas from yesterday swirl in your mind,
Troubling and haunting you still.
Lost and alone in your ramshackle day and longing for a reprieve.
Estranged from the laughter of friends you have known,
And doubting all you believe.
Now is the time and here is the place,
To plaster a make believe smile on your face.
To open your mouth and summon forth praise,
To wind your way through the tortuous maze.
To bravely play a waiting game, 'til the fortune goddess calls your name.
To raise the rafters of your living space, that one room small efficiency.
'Til the neighbors wonder what you're up to
And just what's in that morning tea.
What makes you sing against all odds,
What makes you take to higher ground?
What feeds the jukebox deep inside,
To issue forth such joyful sound?
Wake in the morning and tremble with fear,
As gunfire fills the screen.
Another day of endless war on CNN and NBC.
Lost and tossed in a time warp of trouble,
A girl on a gurney, a boy in a bubble.
Putting marks on the wall that tally the year,
Counting down hurdles you can't seem to clear,
Praying for the Mother Ship to mysteriously appear,
And take you from this poisoned place, this hostile hemisphere.
Now is the time, if you've got the notion,
To rise like the Phoenix and start a commotion.
Make like an actor at the top of his game,
The greasepaint and eye shadow hiding your pain.
To raise the rafters of your room with great proficiency,
To make the neighbors scratch their heads and doubt your sanity,
To hoot and holler loud and long, like an old time tent revival,
To lace your coffee cup with hope, to toast your own survival.
-Bruce Potts
Revised Copyright 2014
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Note: Another one that appears on the blog already but that my Google stats says hasn't had a single view. So hopefully it'll be new to you.
