The Voyage

I sit alone on a rainy day
Thinking of ways to take the pain away

For my sail is battered, ripped & torn
But it's too late to turn back now~ my journey has just been born

Waves crash against my vessel threatening my life
But I will find my harbor through the pain & the strife

Though the wind may sway me I must stay on course
Failure & I just got a divorce

Sailing through the darkness I desperately search for the light
Yes, it's been a long hard voyage but if the King (GOD) asked me to sail again~ I would gladly take flight! John Mark Brooks Feb. 28, 2009

He Speaks to Me

God speaks to me through the wind in the trees
But speaks to me most when I'm down on my knees

His mercy surrounds me; I'm bathed in His grace
Though I know I'm not even worthy to gaze on His face

How many times have I turned my back or His following I've denied?
If I told you I've always walked the narrow road~ it means I have lied

But his body was broken for me, so that my soul could be bathed
He was beaten, spat on, laughed at, then hung, all so that I could be saved!

Should we ever take that lightly or abuse what He did on that cross?
No... but how could we appreciate the peaks if we knew not what it was to be lost?

Even though, now I'm a man, I still know what it means to be a child
I fall short every day, but His blood allowed me to be reconciled!

Careful never to cast stones for I know I find myself in a clear, glass house
That's why I try to listen to Him speaking to me, staying quiet like a church mouse

How does he still speak to me when I treat the King of Kings like He's just a bum?
When the devil says, 'Who wants some candy?' and I yell out please give me some!

Every day the Lord's mercies are new & I am cloaked in radiant white
Every day I try to run from the darkness but every day is one hell of a fight!

Copyright John Mark Brooks
Sunday June 6, 2010

MissinG You

I'm missing you like more the beach has grains of sand
I'm missing you like how, at times, I miss God's plan

I'm missing you more than drops of water in a lake
I'm missing you~ I don't know how much more I can take

I'm missing you like Mickey would miss Minnie
And I've been missing food~ that's how I got so skinny

I'm missing you like the desert would miss its sand
I'm missing you~ and I miss being your man

I'm missing you like a duck would miss its bill
I'm missing you maybe I should call you a meal

I'm missing you like Ginger would miss Astaire
I'm missing sleep~ or do I just wish you were there?

I'm missing you like Buckner missed the ball
I'm missing you like I wish Earnhardt missed the wall

I'm missing you like a grave would miss its name
I'm missing you like a star would miss his fame

I'm missing you like Bonnie would miss Clyde
I'm missing you like humility misses pride

I'm missing you like I bet Lincoln wishes he missed that play
I'm missing you like a horse would miss his hay

I'm missing you like I'm glad Jesus didn't miss the cross
And if you're missing peace.. maybe you're missed Him & you're lost!

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T V W X Y Z

Copyright John Mark Brooks Sunday April 25, 2010

Done with the Fight

I've returned to camp with my sword in my sheath
Turns out victory today was just out of my reach


With blood on my arms & sweat dripping from my brow
I've survived this bloody battle though I do not know how


The arrows flew through the air & they were unrelenting
I doubted I would return, but my God was consenting


A warrior must simply know when to return to camp
But there are will be another battle when I return as champ!


With faith as my shield, I trudge toward my enemy with all my might
For the cross is my lantern & guides my way through the night

Words of hope out of letters by the camp-fire of a love from yesterday
Asking the Lord would reunite us after this war~ for this I shall pray

A soldier does not dare fight unless he's willing to give his very life
As we know, to the victor go the spoils, so he pays no mind to the strife

Though a thousand fall on each side, he knows who it is for whom he will fight
Her face is etched in his memory & he believes victory's within his sight!

Copyright John Mark Brooks April 25, 2010

As You Leave

Wish I could erase this pain just as easily as I shut my eyes
Why is it the truth is so much harder to accept than lies?

My heart is broken~ I mean I feel so hopeless
Our time together was magical... like hocus pocus

The way your eyes twinkled is something I've never seen
Roarin rapids are my life~ how I long for them to be serene

This is what you chose, so don't you dare blame fate
I sat on the bench so long because you asked me to wait

And now I watch you walk away & there's nothing I can do
Except bury my hands in my face as my eyes cry out how much I love you

Hurt is what I've grown used to feeling; I am comfortably numb
Truth is I don't know what happened to us or who you have become

Our time was a beautiful flight, but I didn't know it would burst into a flame
You let forever slip through your fingers & man that is a shame!

So, as you walk away, I can only think of what might've been
There go my unborn children, my heart & my best friend! :o(

JM Friday April 16, 2010

The Man in the Yard

The man will stop raking or pulling his weeds
Will stop whatever he's doing & wave because he knows that's what you may need

Although, he may take a quick break & flash that warm smile
He may briefly stop what he's doing, but soon he'll have a pile

The man in the yard can be seen riding around town in his van
Or lending a hand at Christian Ministries because he's a good man

He may not have said much, so when he spoke, his words weighed a ton
He could kid with the best of them & always knew how to have fun

With his wife rocking alongside him, he was as happy as could be
He was a grandfather, a husband, a father or neighbor & friend like he was to me

Yes, we'll miss that man in the yard, but one day he'll be the man at the gate
Greeting us on the streets of gold & for that day we can not wait

God will have a family reunion in a land where no one grows old
Watching the man in the yard live was a blessing and a memory I'll always hold!!

Dedicated to my neighbor Sam Huss~ we love you!!

Copyright John Mark Brooks

The Music Box

Hoping this isn't our last dance, after all the music is still playing
My heart is the music box, can you hear what the notes are saying?

Holding you in my arms comes natural just like shadows always follow
Hoping you can hear the sweet chorus & these words that are not hollow

Neither one of us meant to fall, but that didn't stop us from falling head over heels
And though this dance is far from graceful, it's full of passion, love & thrills

The music box plays a soothing sound~ one you're not used to hearing
And I know neither 1 of us knows the exact time, but I hope our time is nearing

Frustration & fear grasp your heart, but the music box melts away your pain
The notes leap like my hopes when you open me, I love to be your cane

For I hope to steady you when you sway & catch you before you fall
Lean on me my friend, I'll gladly be here right beside you through it all

How can you explain how God formed the planets & how your heart found mine
It's true I've fallen into a burning Ring of Fire & I love how for you I Walk the Line

The music box is filled gratitude, after all each time you open it it tends to smile
In the same way when your lips touch mine, all this frustration seems worth while

Who knows when the song will slow to a crawl & then play its final note
All I know is as long my Princess is in the castle, I'm going to be her moat

Many songs will spill out of the box, but this one celebrates when you begun life
No songs will be as sweet to your ear than the one playing when you're my wife!

Copyright John Mark Brooks