“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55)
Source: Haunted No More
Photo Credit: Warmth comes to the graveyard | The first rays of the sun co… | Flickr
Month: October 2016
When the Curtain Falls
i see you from afar
know deeply who you are
my eyes can see much more
than human eyes can see
your heart speaks loud and clear
though you try to hide your tears
i can hear your silent cry
though you do not hear me
you’re weary from the act
burdened by the mask
and yet you strive to keep
the image you portray
you surround yourself with those
who will never truly know
how hard you fight to breathe
and to live another day
and yet
i see…
i know…
i ask
what are you wearing
when the final act
comes to an end?
what are you wearing
when the curtain falls
and the lights go dim?
what are you wearing
when you close the door,
at last alone?
what are you wearing
when the day is done
and you’re finally home?
do you shed the garments that made you shine?
or do you fake your smile one last time?
do you take a breath and hope it’s done,
dread the rising of the sun?
or does the costume wait for you
for wearing when the night is through
to play your starring role once more
still trapped behind your prison doors
what are you wearing?
you refuse to confide
i know who you are
though you try to hide
what are you wearing?
your audience waits
to find what’s behind
the veil on your face
what are you wearing?
when will you let go
of the garment that keeps you
from being…known
Related Post: Stars Without Makeup
Originally posted by j.e. fernandez on FaithWriters, Helium Network, & the Nightlight Blog
Photo Credit: Masquerade mask from Roger’s Gardens | Explored November 10,… | Flickr
Haunted No More
i enter through the iron gates
holding in my hands
the remnants of my former life
slowly descending
into the valley of shadows
until surrounded by an endless sea of death
my way is haunted
by a never-ending maze of gravestones
but only one bears my name
taking the shovel in my weary hands
i dig deep
burying all that must be left behind
surrendering my past
once and for all,
i bid farewell to the old me
and i do not shed a tear
this will be
my final goodbye
a funeral for myself
i leave my grave clothes behind
and put on
the garments of life
i am a new creation
dead to what used to be,
finally letting go…
alive at last
poetry by j.e. fernandez
photo credit: The Ghoul-Gate | One grave in every graveyard | Flickr
The Grave Was Silent
The iron gates creaked eerily as she entered the Valley of Shadows. Slowly descending into the haunting abyss of death, she wove through an endless sea of gravestones until she found the one that bore her name. Fighting the fear that threatened her resolve, she took the shovel in her weary hands and began to dig deep.
A veil of darkness overtook the evening sky, and thick fog blurred her vision, but she did not stop until her mission was complete and the last vestiges of her old life sealed permanently beneath the earth’s surface. Leaving her grave clothes behind and wearing the armor bestowed upon her by the King, she turned toward the dim moonlit path that would finally bring her home. But the invisible paralyzed her from moving forward.
Cold hands reached from the barren earth below, pulling her helplessly toward the grave. Struggling to break free from the grip of death, she came face to face with the corpse she had buried minutes ago. It was her mirror image, only it reeked of her old habits and selfish ways. As she clawed against earthen soil, the lively corpse fought relentlessly against her—seeking to drag her into the eternal shadows.
Though she cried for help, she was certain no one could hear—and that she was meant to fight this battle alone. Weariness set in, but just as her vision threatened to give way to impending darkness, the fog lifted and the stars illumined a cross in the distance. With her last remnants of strength, she broke free from the grip of death and ran to the cross, clinging desperately to it.
As the corpse descended from the shadows, she remembered the book the King had given her. Holding it to the light, she cried out the words from the pages: “Behold, I am a new creation—the old has gone and the new has come!” Light penetrated darkness, and the corpse let out a hideous shriek, retreating to the grave, defeated at last.
Finally free from the clutches of death, she walked the narrow path that led home. Dawn broke forth in the horizon. As she turned to say a final goodbye to her old self, the grave was silent.
Flash Fiction by j.e. fernandez
Photo Credit: File:Glendalough round tower and graveyard at night.jpg …
The Mirror
war is a mirror
revealing who we are
and what we will become
if we ignore hatred’s spark
and allow it to grow
to a raging flame
we pray
“deliver us from evil”
as if evil
were outside of ourselves
untouched by our minds
distant from our hearts
we pray
“deliver us from evil”
but the honest will pray
“deliver us from ourselves”
poetry by j.e. fernandez
Returning from War
i’ve waited long for your return
and yet things aren’t
as they once were
i search your eyes, only to find
you’re now a stranger
in my life…
who are you?
i don’t even recognize you…
shadows of an endless war
devour the joy
that once was yours
and veils of darkness
now consume
the light that once surrounded you
you are lost to me
what visions of battle terrorize
what relentless nightmares
haunt your life?
what ghosts of battle
forged their scars
ravaging what once was ours?
please…answer me
i walk into
your life’s abyss
and question how it came to this
for though i search
i cannot find
a whisper of what once was mine…
a fire has burned away the years
trading happiness
for tears
i must let go
i surrender
to the hands of time
relinquishing what once was mine
resolved to love you as you are—
heavy-laden,
battle-scarred…
fighting through the tears and wars
to help you find
what once was yours
poetry by j.e. fernandez
Photo Credit: lonelysoldier – DeviantArt
Fading Away
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)
Source: Skeletons
Photo Credit: Flowers by a Grave | These dying flowers were found resting … | Flickr
This Life & Beyond 
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