Existential Punk

The Tao Of Worship

Worship is more than singing sappy love songs to G-D. We each were born with different gifts, desires, talents, etc., and we should be all that we were created to be. This is in itself a form of worship. Worship is more than reading the Bible. It's living out the kingdom of G-D in the here and now. It's being in authentic relationships with others, sharing and doing life together. By being in honest and open relationships with others we build love and trust, thus providing space to point out the good, the bad, and the ugly in our lives. This goes beyond a once-a-week encounter. Authentic relationships allow the space to worship G-D. By using our talents and gifts, we worship G-D. By being ourselves, we worship G-D. Worship is like the Tao, it is a way of life and not an activity done once-a-week. Worship is an embodiment of a mentality that is life-giving and sustaining. 

Even other things of G-D's creation, like animals, insects, mountains, hills and trees, worship G-D simply by doing and being what they were created to do. So, all the more reason why who we are brings worship to the Divine. It is a joy-filled odyssey as we discover our gifts, desires, talents, likes, dislikes, et al, and worship our Creator. Even our doubts, questions and existential angst bring worship to G-D because it is a part of who we are as G-D's creation. Our honesty before G-D is worship.

There's nothing wrong with singing worship songs and reading the Scriptures. Both are important and have their place. It's when that's ALL we focus on i think we miss out on the true nature of worship as a way of life.

What do you think?

 "For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands." Isaiah 55.12 (NAS)

Trapped

Trapped

by Adele Sakler

tumbling along like a tumbleweed

roving over the sun-drenched desert

acting all angry,

peppered with negativity

peppered with negativity,

expecting the worst

days of my life are

buoyant with unsinkable

yelling.

negative thoughts

engulf,

grabbing me and

agitating my

true self until

i no longer

value the truth.

i'm way

too

young to drown in such negativity.

Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Ripe

Ripe

by Adele Sakler

ripe with drenching blood

engorging my

daily being.

suffocating me with a

haughty laugh and

opening its rage

expecting me to

suffer greatly and deeply.

Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Odysseys

Odysseys

by Adele Sakler

odysseys

drop

you

squarely,

squarely

evermore

yearning.

Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Suicide Systems & Absolution

i was visiting my friend Becky's missional quaker community, midtown friends community, last evening with Mushu! They had an Ignatian Examen service. There was a line in the media presentation that read 'suicide systems' and i wrote this acrostic poem during the service.

Suicide Systems

by Adele Sakler

surely G-D

understands and

internalizes all

crying eyes and

internalizes all

death and destruction

everywhere.

surely G-D does

yearn for wide-open

spaces in our hearts in order

to

employ

her majesty in

spectacular ways.

Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved

During the Examen period of the gathering i also wrote this poem as an inspiration from the concept of absolution.

Absolution

by Adele Sakler

Absolutely i forgive you

because you first forgave me.

sorrow and pain i

i offer up to you with

long-stretched arms.

upward i look to thee

thanking you eternally.

i have never known the

outpouring of your love as i have in the dark

night of my soul.

Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved.

The Fall Of Society

There are those in this world, especially right here in the USA, that want to place blame on socialism, abortion and gay marriage/rights, et al as the fall of society and reasons as to why tragedy hits places like Haiti. Socialism, communism, and capitalism are not evil in and of themselves. PEOPLE, we live in a human-filled, greed-filled world where sinful systems like greedy banks, consumerism and scare tactics like those of the GOP and Christian Right use to beat people into false submissions and manipulate them for votes and money. The greedy people who run these systems are sinful. When money becomes way more important than the well-being of others we have a huge problem. We do not live in a vacuum!

Any place that has socialism and gay marriage/rights has not fallen off the face of the earth. Europe has been thriving for years on Socialism. After living in the UK for two years and experiencing socialized medicine, i think they have a pretty good thing going on over there! i am so sick of the GOP calling Obama a socialist. What do they think Medicare and Medicaid and public schools are anyways? They are a form of socialism and we have not fallen off the face of the earth either. It's simply a way to cry wolf, keep control and manipulate what they want. It reminds me of '1984' when the government always kept rumours of war being broadcast. 

The countries that have gay marriage/rights seem to be doing just fine! No one has infected anyone with their queerness and yet heterosexual divorce is continually on the rise as well as marital infidelities!

Tragedies hit places like Haiti for several of reasons. One, we live in a natural world where natural disasters just take place. Two, we don't take care of the earth as we should so our humanity takes its toll on the earth's resources and pushes it to its limits. Third, corrupt governments use greed to further their own agendas rather than looking out for their own people and building sustainable societies with first world resources. Poverty and greed seem to be strange bedfellows that often go hand in hand.

The fall of society will come from these sinful societal entities if it is going to fall. These sinful systems have been around for thousands of years and society has yet to fall. So, i see the GOP and Christian Right throwing out red herrings and a straw man argument.i really do not believe that society will fall but the earth may one day give out and take it's last breath. What then, are we to do?

Rain Soaked

Rain Soaked

by Adele Sakler

for a long time, as

each year of my life has passed, i have

assimilated fear and

rejection of myself, acting as an

outcast.

fearful of failure but

wishing i could express the

rain soaked, raw emotions

inside my

timid being,

not knowing how to let

go and just write.

Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Liminal Spaces

Liminal Spaces

by Adele Sakler

limping along

i trudge through this phase of

my life looking for

insight into all the unanswered questions

nigh as time draws near i feel some

answers are approaching, a

liminal space where

spades can dig out the

pain and wounding.

away with you

cunning lies and

everlasting harm

sucking the life out from under my skin.

Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Full As A Tick

Full As A Tick

by Adele Sakler

fuck this lyme disease

under my skin

living off of my

life.

ask not if it could enter my body,

shattering my life

as i've never really known.

toxic bacteria

infecting my entire being, making me

crazy and i'm wanting to

kick your ass.

Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Cross Over The Bridge

Thankfully i am no longer in a hopeless place nor feeling suicidal. My new med is working so far minus a little bit of lingering depression. i was inspired to face my demon of wanting to commit suicide and show that i can overcome! Suicide is not the answer. Choosing life is the answer i am fighting for as i battle this 'demon' of depression. ( i don't believe in literal demons, but metaphorical ones!)

Cross Over The Bridge

by Adele Sakler

Sometimes suicide seems like the only option

until one realizes it's so defeating and final.

cross over the bridge and

in your tracks

drop the fantasy of

everlasting peace.

Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved.