Justin Peter

Elegant Vapors

Slay the sheep, kill the calf.

Then smear the blood upon your brow.

Praise the locust in the trees, as they devour everything.

Kick the vagabond in his teeth. 

Tell me now, is this everything?

Because now is the time I should be leaving.

I’ll guide you, Earth.

Or Earth, guide me.

There’s nothing left till eternity.

I’ll strip my clothes, if you lie me down.

I’ll smash the skulls, if you whisper tender things.

I’ll heal the wounded farmers’ soul, if you gude me to dearly departed.

So tell me now, what’s a shadows weight. 

Tell me something, am I anything.

To see the last breath leaving from the eyes.

Mix the bile with the snow,

then watch the elegant vapors grow.

The Shadows Weight

Shadows growing; like vines,

Don’t loose yourself.

A darkness strong, binds,

Don’t loose your soul.

It’s a loneliness wrought by;

Hate and anger,

Heat and sweat.

Enclosed by a vast

emptiness.

Embraced by a vacant

kiss.

Hurtful words like:

“Come back home”

It’s hard to see your passions leached;

Your beaten body,

Frail bones,

Quivering lips, bleached.

Don’t get lost!

For my sake…

For ours…

Though the darkness weighs,

Don’t loose yourself!

For my sake…

For ours…

Just stay strong,

Till your back in my arms.

Waitress

I went to a “casual” restaurant filled with gaudy nick-knacks and overpriced buckets of food, this evening. And I swear, I saw sadness in the eye. 

Subjection. Ridicule. Servitude to the quasi elite. 

Snow

With cup of tea in hand, and soft warm clothes over my body I look out the window. Outside, snow drifts down from a seemingly endless sky; everything is a wash of white. Barren trees shake under the breath of the wind. 

A man walks across the desolate landscape. 

Head down, nose covered. Ice and snow crunch under the weight of his boots with each step.

He longs for his home. It’s warm embrase, it’s sweet aroma of cooking food, but instead, he is pricked by a dry cold that hangs from his brow and bites at his lips.

In the distance, he catches a glimpse of his home. His life is restored by the sight; he quickens his step. The snow continunes to wrap it’s icy fingers around his boots slowing his would be sprint to a heavy trudge. 

I run to the front door and swing it wide open. 

I don’t care about the cold outside. There’s enough warmth inside.

An Existential Rant to Ponder the Existence and Understanding of Religion and Its Interaction of Humanity

Why

Command the Seas

My son! Set your sails, take your course,

And do not be detured by a wayward force.

Now it’s easy to heed my warnings when you first embark, and when your sea is glass.

When your mind is fresh of your land and your lass.

But the oceans are not tame.

They will look into your heart and reveal your shame.

Their sirens will lull you to an ignorant sleep.

Then they will howl and roll as they drag your soul to their bowls deep. 

But my son, 

Oh my son!

Do not be afraid.

Take heart of what I have done,

and keep from being strayed.

When your days become dark as night.

Cold and dreary. 

And when your seas begin to crest and fall with an un-worldly fury,

Look straight, stay strong, and drop your sails.

Let the wind take you on its own trails.

For it is in these moments of turmoil, 

When you desperately long for your home soil,

That you must find peace within this violent earth.

That is when a man determins his self-worth.

Remember, storms never last forever,

and as soon as the stars are clear in the sky, return back to your own endevor.

Now, go to the ocean and live your ambition.

Go and rid your mind of of land and trees.

Go my son, whom I love so, Go and command the seas.

How Crow Found The North

Deep in the valley covered in snow, lived crow an his family. One evening a cold wind from the east blew and carried Crow’s family away. 

In the morning Crow awoke to find his family gone and let out an agonizing cry.

“My Loves! My Loves! Where has the wind taken you?”

Crow cried so loud and for so long all the other animals began to lement Crow for disturbing their peace. Eventually, Fox asked crow:

“Where did the wind take your family?”

Crow thought for a moment, then answered,

“I don’t know.”

In an attempt to silence Crow, Fox responded with:

“Why don’t you ask Owl where the wind took your loved ones?”

Crow agreed and sent out to Owl’s.

When crow arrived at owls abode he cried,

“My loves! My loves! The wind has taken my loves, but I don’t know where!”

Owl thought for a moment then eventually responded, 

“The heavens needed more stars and the wind delivered your children’s brigt soul to the sky.”

Still distraught crow cried out,

“But, why my loves and not me?”

Owl answered,

“It’s not my place to know who the heavens choose.”

Crow pleaded,

“Wise Owl, show me where they are! Take me to them so that I may be with my loves again.” 

Owl said,

“I warn you, once you enter the heavens you can never come back to this earth.”

Crow yelled,

“I don’t care.”

Owl responded with,

“Very well you must fly to where the sky and earth meet, but I can only take you half way.”

And with that, Crow and Owl flew away.

The sun was high and heavy on their backs, but it made no difference because the air was so cold as it rushed passed their faces. In the evening, when the sun had dipped past the horizon, they used the stars to guide their way.

Owl said,

“Look north, Crow. That bright star befor you is your family glowing, crying out to you. I have gone as far as I can go. Do not be detured from your goal, Crow. Continue north my friend.”

With that, Owl turned around and flew home.

Crow was flying alone in the dark now. The only thing guiding him was the the star in the North before him.

As Crow flew closer to where the earth and the sky met, the heavens grew aware of its intruder; the heavens ordered the wind to blow off corse. First, the winds blew from the east to the west, then from west to east. But, it did not affect Crow.

Next, the Heavens began to storm and thunder. Crow became scared. He was cold, alone, and he could no longer see the star, but he pressed on even faster then when he started.

The Heavens recognized Crow’s resilience, and in desperation the Heavens commanded the stars in the sky to fall to the earth. That’s when the night sky began to light up as the stars streaked across the sky. As the stars began to fall all around, Crow had to twist and turn, climb and fall just to dodge the barrage.

Crow was just about to reach the end of the earth when suddenly, a star fell straight on Crow’s back; sending him plummeting to the ground. 

Wounded, both in body and spirit, Crow looked up to the sky and saw the stars falling all around him.

“My Loves! My Loves!” He cried, “Never again will I see my Loves!”

But, no sooner had he uttered these words that he remembered Owl’s words to “Look North, and do not be deterred.”

This time, when Crow looked up to the heavens, no longer did he see the world falling around him but light to guide him to his destination. And in the distance, past the falling stars, he could see his North star shining brighter then ever.

So Crow shot into the air. 

Despite his broken bones and bruised muscles, crow flew faster and harer than ever before. Though the skies continued to fall, Crow kept his eyes fixed on the goal before him. 

As dawn broke over the horizon and the stars began to fade, Crow broke free of this earth and flew into the Havens where he spend eternity with his loves. 

I Ain’t Nothing

What a pile of lies you shoved me!

Saying, I was the man you wish you loved, but clearly,

I was no such thing!

Considering you found the idea of us disgusting.

Yet, you’ll kiss the man with the cigarette taste you say is so revolting?

I should have gone running when I saw you comming.

But, you were affecting my seeing,

by invading my being.

Now let me tell you something,

I ain’t nothing,

‘cause I got myself a heart of gold,

And I’ll find someone with whom I’ll grow old,

But your going to die alone and cold,

With no one to hold,

Because in your youth you were so bold,

to chose to be shallow!

Vacant inside. Empty and hallow.

Waitress

I went to Joe’s Crab Shack, a restaurant filled with gaudy nick-knacks and overpriced buckets of food, this evening. And I swear, I saw sadness in the eye. Subjection. Ridicule. Servitude to the quasi elite. 
I wanted to say that “you’re worth something”, but what would it matter? She would never hear me.

Lady In Red

Lady in red, you evil thing.

You said my heart was cold,

On a warm, bright spring.

Yet I know for sure,

That your not the one.

Your words, 

Like poison from the skies.

We’re done.

Lady in black,

You’re a graceful soul.

Had you not been in my life,

My day’s would be dark as coal.

But, I don’t know for sure,

If your the one.

Because, your words are vacant vessels.

We’re done.

Somewhere out there.

There’s a lady in white.

Who’s goal in life is to make the world bright.

And I’ll know for sure,

that she’s the one.

We’ll spend forever together,

or till our hearts have gone.

Remember

I remember the day I first fell in love with you,
I didn’t know what to say, or what to do.
I remember our first laugh,
Our first dance,
Our first date,
Our first kiss in the rain.
But now we sit silently in my broke down car,
And watch the reflection of traffic lights on rained over streets.

Do you remember the day you got dressed in all white,
Walked before all our friends, then said “I do”?
Do you remember the cries of our first boy,
And the laughs of our second.
We thought it would last forever.
But I guess not…
Because now you hate me,
And now I find myself hating you as well.

Like dimming candles in the corner of a gloomy room,
Our strife, along with our lives, will simply fade away.
And that’s just fine.
Because, you and I had a time,
Where we loved to love each other tenderly.
So please just know, that though I’ll never say in words,
I can only fall asleep to the love of our history,
And I still, deeply, love you.

—-

I wrote this on behalf of my father, who is not quite so articulate.