Santa's Amnesia

Clip-art by Microsoft Office

Santa’s Amnesia
By R.Andrew
December 24, 2008

Brisk was old Santa as he delivered his gifts to all the good little children. The trip was rather difficult this year; he battled his way through wet stormy skies and thick snowy blizzards, flying in caution for fear of lightening strikes and frostbite. He was on his way back to the North Pole when his reindeer broke apart from the sleigh, and down, down Santa went, landing onto Perchwood Lane. Thankfully, some had seen dear Santa in distress, and they took him to the nearby church, which was still open and having their midnight mass.

When Santa woke, he grabbed his head and said, “Aho, ho, ho—oh, no, no, no, I must have bumped my head! I do not know my very name, or why I am dressed in red.” Old Santa had amnesia, and he did not know what to do, so he sat and listened to the carols sung, and to the priest’s solemn benediction too. As dear Santa sat, he wondered, “This Christ, he is so brilliant. Who else could have died and rose from the dead, only for the sins of others? Why, this gift of life is greater than any gift that I could have possibly ever imagined.” As he left the church, still rubbing his head, he wandered back to his sleigh.

There to greet him were small, plumpy elves who shouted, “Santa, we’re going to be late!”

“’Santa,’ who could this be?” said Santa, looking on both his sides and behind. “Little fellows, do you know me? I bumped my head! Can you help me? I have forgotten myself.”

While the small elves stood in shock of this devastating news, a few snowflakes began to fall. One happened to land on old Santa’s nose, and as soon as it hit him he said, “Ho, ho.” The memories returned, he remembered his elves, his sleigh, his wife, and his eight tiny reindeer. He returned to the sleigh as the elves whistled for the reindeer, and he glimpsed once more at the tall, ancient church and said, “Above all the gifts I have given, not a gift can amount to the one that came from a man whom is greater than I.”

Breathe Into Me

Clip-art by Microsoft Office

Breathe Into Me
By R.Andrew

09.06.2008

All knowledge seems fake.
My heart wants to break.
At this moment, nothing matters to me.

Numbness has hijacked my soul.
I don’t know where there’s left to go.
Fill my cup – let it run over!

My candle stands alone in the darkness.
The wick has lost its fire, and is charred and shriveled up.
The wax no longer drips because the flames have disappeared.

Who blew out my only hope?

Restore my soul and have it shine for all eternity.
Make your fire to encompass me with your light.
Let me feel your grace.
Give me your merciful love.

Dear Lord, my Father, breathe into me.
Bring this old shell back to life.

Make the dawn break through the night.

Cow Wearing Underpants

Clip-art by Microsoft Office

Cow Wearing Underpants
By R.Andrew
09.06.2008

Once a cow came up to me and asked me what I'd like to see. I pondered a moment, for this question was rare, and I told him what I've never seen dared. To some, this may be a rude sort of thing, but I replied the most ridiculous thing. "What I'd like to see, that I've never seen, is someone wearing underpants for fun."

So he shifted his head to the left of me, to show me what I hadn't seen. To my amazement, there it was, underpants lying under the falling sun.

The cow turned his head to look back at me, and made a move as though he was going to flee. And to my amazement twice, the cow that flew out of my sight ran up to the spot where the underpants lay, picked up a frilly pair that had a golden flare, put it on his bare bun while saying, "My, isn't this good fun?" And he skipped down the lane with a smile.

Forever His Child

Forever His Child
by R.Andrew

The Lord is with me always.
No evil spirit shall have my soul.
My heart sings praises to my Lord.
Forever, I will be His child.

The Devil will never win my spirit.
Nothing of God's belongs to Satan!
My Lord resides in my heart, He reigns within my soul.
I am His for eternity!

He formed me into His liking.
My Lord guides me on my path.
I shall not fear the Evil One.
God is always here!

The Bells

The Bells
by R.Andrew

The bells are ringing.
The bells are ringing to our path.
The bells are ringing to our path, warning us about the future.

The birth pains have come.
The birth pains have come upon the earth.
The birth pains have come upon the earth, and the judgment will soon follow.

The Lord.
The Lord will come.
The Lord will come and reign on this earth.
The Lord will come and reign on this earth and will establish His kingdom.

The bells are ringing.
The bells are ringing; hear them chime.
The bells are ringing; hear them chime, because the message they bring is our warning!

Waterstone's Writing Contest

Here's my entry, titled "No Time to Spare," that I entered for Waterstone's contest. I only had but 600 characters to fill, so I cramped it rather untidy onto a digital card on its web site.

"Elizabeth Parker stood outside the hospital room. She could not bear seeing her brother writhing in pain. Emotions fought over her body. All she had wanted was just one more memorable moment with Jonathan - a day simply for fishing - but the cancer chose to deny it. She hated how she pitied herself while her parents were with her brother, putting on brave faces during a trialing time. With no time to spare, she forced her body to walk into the room, and she grasped her brother's hand; he affectionately squeezed her grip. Jonathan was her twin brother; he was also her best friend. "


Here's the image of the card:

My entry for Waterstone's contest - R.Andrew

The Missing Pieces

Photo from Microsoft Word

The Missing Pieces

by R.Andrew

The missing pieces leave a vacancy in my wound.
Heartache drains all the energy I need.
Doubt screams into my ear, sounding like a thousand trumpets blaring off at once.
Mellow speeches feel numb.

Nothing can seem to replace the missing pieces.

My body hungers for the missing pieces.
I feel deprived.
Searching for the missing pieces, something more than what it may seem.
Silence overflows my heart.
My mind has fallen apart.
I have forgotten my hope.

Deliverance

Deliverance
By R.Andrew

(Above art created by me!)

I ran as fast as my legs let me. My heart painfully ached to stop running—but no, I didn’t stop. If I did…No, there was no option!

It was dark, and the trees in the forest were all thick and wet. A rainstorm had recently past by, leaving the ground all muddy and slick—I almost fell down a couple of times. The thing that slowed me down the most was my wet clothes; the rainstorm had been fierce, and looked as though it would soon return. Even though my body desperately wanted to rest, I couldn’t stop. I wouldn’t stop…not if I wanted to survive. Therefore, I ran.

They were after me, those men in dark suits. The world used to be better before those men took over our lives—locking innocent victims up, forcing them to accept the new ways, or choose death. Those that chose death were the lucky ones. Those who remain continue to live each minute as their last, always running and never stopping. I know there is a better world ahead. Things just can’t remain as they are. There has to be some help, some hope that waits to rescue us from this terrible bondage known as the New Order. However, while other victims wait for the arrival of this deliverance, I know that my destiny lies behind the same outcome that my family faced.

It is a dream. I know that it is a dream. What kind of world would allow the New Order the dominance over everybody’s lives if it were not a dream? No world would permit such a horror! That is why I cleave to the notion that this is only a delusion…only a dream. My heart yearns to wake and see my wife and kids again, smiling and laughing—their laughter will comfort me once I wake up! If this is only a dream, when will I awake from this nightmare? When my family sees me sleeping, or when bullets tear into my flesh?

Those dark suited men, who work for the New Order, killed my family. They raided my home and mercilessly killed my wife and children—shot them in their hearts, killing them instantly. I wasn’t as brave. Those idiot men, they left my door open, unblocked! I ran past them, guns firing in the background. Don’t ask me why I ran instead of dying graciously like my family; I can only guess instinct played a part in my actions for fleeing. Nevertheless, I ran into a nearby forest. You see, we were hiding out, my family and I. This world, it is not how it used to be. Hearts used to sing of freedom, but now they only scream from fear. Once the New Order arrived, all former governments bowed down and whimpered beneath the Order’s power. It all happened so fast! It was as though the New Order—BANG—appeared out of the nowhere and began destroying lives by their Law of Requisition. Therefore, you see, I hid my family, trying to buy us more time at life—because I knew that we were next…someone’s always next. I guess I failed them, because they were killed, and there I was, still alive…for however long the Order would let me live.

I ran as fast as my legs allowed me. Even though my heart was pounding out of my chest, and my lungs felt like bursting like a tired balloon, I continued to run. After what seemed like an hour, it began to rain again—heavy rain. I desperately wanted to stop, but I knew that I couldn’t. The previous rainstorm, and now this one, had slowed me down enough for the dark suited men to catch up. It was as though both the rain and the men were working together. As I said in the beginning, the ground was all muddy and slick—that was my fall. I ran to where the trees of the forest had formed a circular, vast, clear opening with only a huge rock resting in place. The ground was too wet and slippery. I slipped and fell straight on my back; my breath left my body for a second. My eyes fell directly on the bright full moon overhead; the light shining from it shot down on me like a spotlight, revealing my silhouette.

The dark suited men from the New Order found me before I could get up. As they ran towards me, I closed my eyes and screamed, “Wait! Please, tell me why!” I opened my eyes and saw that the men had stopped dead in their tracks, so I continued my plea. “Tell me why you have taken away our freedom. Why do you rule over our lives as though we are animals? Why do you kill those who oppose your implacable control? Please, tell me the reason…before you kill me.”

One of the men, whom I suppose was the leader, spoke out, “You fool. If you understood our ways, by the Law of Requisition, then you would have known why we do what we do.” I straightened myself up as the leader turned to his men. For a moment, it seemed like he was confused and didn’t understand their reasons either. As the tensions grew stronger, he faced me again, “The old ways were weak…freedom and judgments made us weak. However, the New Order and its Law knew how to make us stronger. What we merely do is take out the weak, so that we can grow stronger. It is as simple as pulling weeds from the grass.” He forced a faltered smile upon his face. “Do you choose life, or death?”

“I choose death.”

I still didn’t understand why a world would allow this shame, but I then knew why my family died—why dear friends have died also. They died while remaining true to themselves, never succumbing to a sadistic regime. As the rain began to clear, I looked upon the shadowed faces of the dark suited men, and knew that my deliverance had come. The last thing I heard, as my life prepared to close, was the sound from a gun. I was set free. I didn’t need to run anymore. I am awake.

© 2007 by R.Gonzalez. "Deliverance" is a published work!

Shambled Soul

Photo from Microsoft Word

Shambled Soul
By R.Andrew


Shambled soul, I know the pain that you have to deal.
Shambled soul, my heart breaks while seeing you drowning
In your tears; knowing that you have chosen to forget
Your years.

I know your heart is not listening to what your mind has to
Say. I see your eyes, they are drifting, and they are
Filled with cold, dark shame. Shambled soul, do not let go;
You are not alone. I feel your pain. I know your shame.

And my love for you has never changed. Just take my hand
And never part; my love will mend your broken heart. Lift
Your heavy head and watery eyes; I have been with you from
The start.

Though the days are long, the seasons are not. The burden
You bear will surely part. I will give you strength when
You are empty. Just understand it is never over; your
Hope will grow stronger. And there will be no more shambled
Soul.

© 2008 by R.Andrew.