This country could
Be ours to cross,
But love not gained
Cannot be lost,
So fear and doubt
Keep me away,
Yet give me another
Reason not to stay.
Jordan McFarlen
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And I Ran
Everything that could have been
I’ve been running from
And everything in front of me
I closed my eyes so I couldn’t see
And I ran, oh I ran
From my own history
Into the darkness
Headlong into hopeful mystery
For no purpose but to escape
I embraced the wild
My own, free-willed escapade
Left behind, I left it all behind
And I ran, oh I ran
Into the blackest night
Until the stars broke in front of me
Misty-eyed, I kissed eternity
And I was never the same
No, I was never the same
My heart, my soul
My mind had changed
And I ran, oh I ran
Up and into the sky
That blackest night
Broken by eternal light
Jordan McFarlen
Owl
In the night you fly
To pillage and conquer—
Like a whisper in the sky,
A soaring, silent hunter.
To rest all day,
Oh, how wise you are—
To take your prey
Under the stars.
Without a sound,
Your taloned feet
Meet the ground—
Another heartbeat down.
Jordan McFarlen
Trustworthy and True
The old is being made new;
Your Glory, Your Kingdom,
Come into view.
What is to be said, when this day comes;
To look upon beauty
Brighter than the setting sun.
It is a dream fulfilled;
Through these narrow gates of pearl,
The entrance to eternal glory—Your Will.
Never again will I hunger;
I will never thirst,
For You are leading me to living water.
All I had known was trustworthy and true;
Upon these streets of golden glass,
My soul finds its home—My soul finds You.
Jordan McFarlen
Riverbed
Gentle spring, grit and gravel—
Carry us through.
Rolling river, rain-fed power—
Wash my cousins free.
Sovereign stone, stayed and true—
Change our course.
Jordan McFarlen
By The Sea
O, simple beauty and satisfaction;
In their wildest dreams,
Their love had happened.
They sat together, white hair and withered hands,
And waved goodbye to me
From the porch of their cottage by the sea.
Jordan McFarlen
The King’s Blessing
I must say, my son, do not despair;
The love you lost was ne’er there.
She went with the wind, like a breath of air.
The time quickly approaches
When all will pass, the unfit and atrocious;
And come down to earth, a mighty fortress.
This end will bring a new beginning;
With joy and love surely brimming,
There will be no need for reminiscing,
I will make it so all your days ahead
Will forget you the pain you once had,
And bring to you delight that ne’er ends.
And though you’ll turn your back on me,
Not once or twice but more than three;
I will fight for you—eternally.
I love you dearly, my son;
The battles before you surely will be won;
All the days you live under the sun,
And all the days yet to come.
Jordan McFarlen
Killing Dreams
Every night he would close his eyes and imagine;
From the moment he came to this earth,
He lived with these dreams of what could happen;
And year after year they came to fruition,
Until the night the Dreamer’s dreams collided.
He woke up in a cold sweat and tried to fight it,
But his dreams were killing each other,
And there was nothing he could do to stop them.
Night after night, year after year, the dreams would meet;
Killing each other while the Dreamer tried to sleep.
No longer did he think of what the future could hold;
Instead, he lay awake at night growing cold.
Then, one evening, he laid his head down to rest;
The night before, the final dream had died in vain,
So he fell asleep to the rhythmic beating in his chest.
The dreams didn’t come that night, or ever again.
Jordan McFarlen
Instagrandparents
We spent every waking moment looking down;
I heard the world around us was beautiful, but I wouldn’t know now.
We didn’t use our eyes for anything much more than a glow;
Now, we’re bent forward from staring at our phones—
When did we become these crooked-necked old folks?
Surely as we were squinting at pictures of places
We did not, and never will, see for ourselves.
I would tell you stories of my travels, but I left those books shelved.
I considered going outside, but wasn’t it always too hot?
I would have rather sat alone, scrolling through a feed of strangers’ thoughts.
You know, it’s blurry now, but I think
I remember seeing the most beautiful sunset—
If my memory serves me as right, that is, but most of the time it isn’t.
I’m sure there’s a picture somewhere if only I could find it.
Were our fingers always this curved, and our thumbs this arthritic?
The three of you seem quite discontent,
Isn’t that, however, how the majority of our lives were spent?
We were liked by many, but known by few—
Weren’t we only doing what we were supposed to do?
To fit in, you know? To make our friends jealous, to put on a show.
Why it’s all we’ve ever known.
As I think of it now, did we really need another post?
Innumerable images of food we never tasted;
Pictures upon pictures of people half-naked;
We’re at the end of our lives and only now do we realize our lives were wasted.
Jordan McFarlen
Weeping Willow
The simplest of loves and freedom
Created moments in their forever,
As wild hearts wandered together.
Tender-footed, they crossed the river,
Planting willow’s seed as
The birds, above all, flittered.
Bless’d beauty remained;
All the more reverent,
As the clouds cascaded gray.
Where the suns did fall,
They chased their days;
Until last light refused to stay.
Their lot in life still remains,
Weeping ‘pon the river’s banks;
Sympathizing with her name’s sake.
Jordan McFarlen
