A Child by Any Other Name?

Did Isaac wonder as they wandered
“Have I made my father proud?”
When he trembled ‘neath the knife
Do you think he laughed aloud?

Always wondered as I’ve wandered
why you’d place this yoke on me?
Named for the one who gave you life
and stole in the night your dignity

Was Jacob told when he was younger
that he was destined to deceive?
When his name was changed to struggle
Was his broken heart relieved?

Did he tell you when you were under
that no one would ever believe?
So long I’ve looked to be set asunder
From the name you placed on me

Did Ishmael wonder if God listens
when it seemed father never could?
In the shadow of the favored one
stands the dark son, misunderstood

It seemed all your best intentions
would have alluded me for good
in the shadow of the damage done
how could I have understood?

It was your way of healing
when you gave his name to me
The guardian he never was
is everything I’m determined to be

~wwb 4/27/09

every dream i’ve ever had of me

its all been said, its all been said
we all bleed in red, nothing new ‘neath this old moon
we’ll all play dead, we’ll all play dead
we’ve read all the red and tonight we still feel doomed

give me everything that your not
i’ll give you everything that’s left when I am through
im trying to integrate all i’ve got
and all i’ve got left is love and hate for you and you

conventional and sensual, you are
everything I ever thought i was thinking that i knew
provisional, incisional, u cut m e in two
i was thinking if your thinking of me, its the least u could do

come back, come back & leave me be
you’ve been haunting every dream i’ve ever had of me
i don’t want your yellow hill or apron strings
just the one on whom the sun shines when she’s next to me

~wwb