—Poems by William Lee-Jobe (1991-2017)
regenerate
wash away
all the blood on your hands
from all the mistakes you’ve made,
all the damage you’ve caused
bathe in holy water,
surround yourself in healing, and forgiveness
realize that you can fulfill your wants and
needs
not by taking from others,
but by giving back to the cycle of life that
is all around us
remove all the pain and suffering you’ve
caused
with waves of healing,
soothing the burning pain from wounds still
open
repairing your broken and bleeding heart
with a chance to start again
baptize in the water
you are born again
free from the anger and suffering you once
felt
ready to experience life anew,
without doubt or negativity
you will rebuild your life, this time with
love
and you will find happiness for all of eternity
___________________
stigmata
dip my toes into the sand
wade in the water
the future, past, coming undone
here and hereafter
bow my head down in prayer
in praise to the mother
a nightmare, that thing which you most fear
we’re infecting each other
alone in the dark, in a candlelit room
giving thanks to the father
the answers lie buried, deep within the tomb
of our sisters and brothers
i’m outside the window that you’re looking
through
but it’s just a mirror
in my reflection, you might find some truth
but it won’t get any clearer
these dreams, one day, might make sense to
you
till then, float on like the river...
____________________
i kept breathing
there is nothing i need more than
to be reminded
of why i opened my eyes in the first place
and why i kept breathing after that first
breath,
even though i could have stopped at any time.
there’s a reason i allowed myself to live
and have kept myself alive, in this body
with these hands that reach outward,
grasping for attention, and
hope.
and these feet that lead me towards my destination
one step after the other,
down a path i’ll never stray from
towards the goal i’ll always have.
ears that hear what you think can’t be heard,
and eyes that know things about you
that you don’t even know.
i can perceive that which you cannot,
and i am very aware of everything around
me.
i know that you are always here with me,
in my heart
loving me, caring
about me,
helping me when i need it,
even when i cannot see you.
wherever i go, i carry you with me
just as you have carried me with you.
though we are with each other always in our
hearts,
it has been too long
and i hunger to lay my eyes on your stunning
visage,
your flawless smile
and to wrap my arms around you, even just
for a second,
to know you are here physically.
then i can be reminded of why i opened my
eyes in the first place
and why i’m still breathing,
even after all this time.
___________________
not right, not wrong, but
somewhere in between
i am the fine line
drawn in the middle between right and wrong
bringing balance to the universe
tipping the scales in the right direction
should they sway too far
as the pendulum swings,
the outcome of each action is determined
by chance
you have to fail sometimes in order to succeed
you won’t be able to taste the sweet glory
of victory
without having choked on the bitterness of
defeat
its only after we’ve lost everything
that we are free to do anything
___________________
prosper
slowly but surely,
the winds of change will sweep us all away
into new lands unknown
where we will find a beauty that we've never
known before
deep within our hearts
from there, I'll build my home
planting seeds in the ground from which ideas
will grow
brilliant and alive, it's from these ideas
from which we build a better tomorrow
each experience makes us smarter and stronger
and with every mistake a lesson is learned
that is where we'll stay
safe in the warmth of never-ending harmony
deep within the joyous prosperity of eternal
love
____________________
William Lee-Jobe was a Sacramento Valley native, living most of his life in Davis, California. He attended Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz and settled there. He was a songwriter and a poet. The son of a teacher and a poet, he died of congestive heart failure in 2017, and is survived by his parents, his brother and sister, and a niece.
____________________
—Medusa, with many thanks to James Lee Jobe today for sharing his son, William’s, work ~
wash away
all the blood on your hands
from all the mistakes you’ve made,
all the damage you’ve caused
bathe in holy water,
surround yourself in healing, and forgiveness
realize that you can fulfill your wants and
needs
not by taking from others,
but by giving back to the cycle of life that
is all around us
remove all the pain and suffering you’ve
caused
with waves of healing,
soothing the burning pain from wounds still
open
repairing your broken and bleeding heart
with a chance to start again
baptize in the water
you are born again
free from the anger and suffering you once
felt
ready to experience life anew,
without doubt or negativity
you will rebuild your life, this time with
love
and you will find happiness for all of eternity
___________________
stigmata
dip my toes into the sand
wade in the water
the future, past, coming undone
here and hereafter
bow my head down in prayer
in praise to the mother
a nightmare, that thing which you most fear
we’re infecting each other
alone in the dark, in a candlelit room
giving thanks to the father
the answers lie buried, deep within the tomb
of our sisters and brothers
i’m outside the window that you’re looking
through
but it’s just a mirror
in my reflection, you might find some truth
but it won’t get any clearer
these dreams, one day, might make sense to
you
till then, float on like the river...
____________________
i kept breathing
there is nothing i need more than
to be reminded
of why i opened my eyes in the first place
and why i kept breathing after that first
breath,
even though i could have stopped at any time.
there’s a reason i allowed myself to live
and have kept myself alive, in this body
with these hands that reach outward,
grasping for attention, and
hope.
and these feet that lead me towards my destination
one step after the other,
down a path i’ll never stray from
towards the goal i’ll always have.
ears that hear what you think can’t be heard,
and eyes that know things about you
that you don’t even know.
i can perceive that which you cannot,
and i am very aware of everything around
me.
i know that you are always here with me,
in my heart
loving me, caring
about me,
helping me when i need it,
even when i cannot see you.
wherever i go, i carry you with me
just as you have carried me with you.
though we are with each other always in our
hearts,
it has been too long
and i hunger to lay my eyes on your stunning
visage,
your flawless smile
and to wrap my arms around you, even just
for a second,
to know you are here physically.
then i can be reminded of why i opened my
eyes in the first place
and why i’m still breathing,
even after all this time.
___________________
not right, not wrong, but
somewhere in between
i am the fine line
drawn in the middle between right and wrong
bringing balance to the universe
tipping the scales in the right direction
should they sway too far
as the pendulum swings,
the outcome of each action is determined
by chance
you have to fail sometimes in order to succeed
you won’t be able to taste the sweet glory
of victory
without having choked on the bitterness of
defeat
its only after we’ve lost everything
that we are free to do anything
___________________
prosper
slowly but surely,
the winds of change will sweep us all away
into new lands unknown
where we will find a beauty that we've never
known before
deep within our hearts
from there, I'll build my home
planting seeds in the ground from which ideas
will grow
brilliant and alive, it's from these ideas
from which we build a better tomorrow
each experience makes us smarter and stronger
and with every mistake a lesson is learned
that is where we'll stay
safe in the warmth of never-ending harmony
deep within the joyous prosperity of eternal
love
____________________
William Lee-Jobe was a Sacramento Valley native, living most of his life in Davis, California. He attended Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz and settled there. He was a songwriter and a poet. The son of a teacher and a poet, he died of congestive heart failure in 2017, and is survived by his parents, his brother and sister, and a niece.
____________________
—Medusa, with many thanks to James Lee Jobe today for sharing his son, William’s, work ~
William Lee-Jobe
Photos in this column can be enlarged by
clicking on them once, then clicking on the x
in the top right corner to come back to Medusa.