Solemn Vow

And now, today at this very hour,

I make this solemn vow

to myself,

the one of whom I used to be ashamed,

the one whom I hid from

while looking in the mirror,

the one who would always take on the blame

for the misdeeds of others.

 

And now, today at this very hour,

I make this solemn vow

to myself,

my beautiful, sacred, lovely self,

the one whom I cherish

whom I guard,

the one who

is precious in the sight of the Lord.

 

Never again

will I sacrifice

my hopes, my dreams,

my very self

on a funeral pyre

to appease

those who believe

I am unworthy.

 

Never again

will I debase myself

and compromise all I believe

just to fit in

to be accepted

to be loved

by others

who only want to use me

abuse me

and then abandon me

when there is nothing

left in me

to give.

 

 

 

 

Never again

will I

let the words of self-hatred

form upon my lips

nor let the poison of unbelief

creep into my soul.

 

I will honor this temple

of the Lord.

I will beautify

my gardens

and feed those

whom come my way

with the fruit

of His love.

 

For I am

a vessel of His love

a cup of His cool water

to those who thirst.

 

I am a blanket of His comfort

to those who mourn,

a pillar of His strength

for those who lack faith,

a song of His joy

for those who have lost

the music of life.

 

The Promise Land

I am the Promise Land.

 

I want to dip my hand

into the vat of honey

and taste

its sweetness

on my lips.

I want to cup my hands

and gulp

from the rivers of milk

and let it dribble

down my chin.

 

I have crossed the Jordan

and have seen with my eyes

the miracles of the Lord.

I have hungered and thirsted

and have tasted and seen.

 

But the battle is not completely over,

the walls of Jericho still stand

and part of me is still held captive

by the enemies of this land.

 

I hear the marching

outside the city walls

and my heart beats wildly within

for I know soon

that the trumpet will sound

and that these oppressive walls

will come tumbling to the ground.