Where dark is lack of light;

Quiet lack of sound;

Cold lack of heat.

Loneliness lack of company.

And yet company is still a lack.

Where to have is to possess

And to have nothing is to possess

Where nothing is a possession

Possession of a burden

And burden is a lack

Advent prayer

Dear Lord,

As we light another candle on our wreath this week may the blessing of Jesus Christ light up our hearts. And, may we be able, through Him, to bring warmth to those close to us, and to the darkness of the world.

May we deviate completely from superficial thoughts and practices and may we dedicate more of our time, effort and money to those who need it.

We pray so that the joyous season brings our families together, reconciles our relationships, we pray so that we may have hope and may transform our energy into means by which we can use our talents and privileges for the well being of others who are less fortunate than us.

We thank you God for the children who still look forward to nativity plays and for the grownups who still make their cards and gifts as they did when they were young. Hence we pray for purity and complete generosity to overwhelm us.

May we, in December 2009 learn to be assertive and not waste money on useless gifts just for the sake of it. May we remember that Jesus came to the world and gave HIMSELF.

May we give possibly fewer material gifts, but give something much more valuable instead; our time, advice, a meal, hike or bake together with our loved ones. Then, may we give some of that money which we did not spend, away to the poor, lonely, old, hungry and sick. May we remind ourselves that people die from lack of clean water every day; that an estimated 10 billion could solve this problem and yet 450 billion is spent on Christmas.

So we pray God to help us to have the courage to diverge from the norm and busy rushed shopping frenzy, to simply transform the spirit of giving less to gifts and more to our relationships and worship, just as was intended by the gift of your son Jesus Christ.

Lord hear us,

Lord graciously hear us

Liberation?

Stripped of his land, his house and history
Risking everything for his family
And ultimately... to escape from a nation's misery

Unbearable economical, political and religious prejudice
Though his country, he does truly miss

Stripped of all once in his possession
All he has, to start him off, is his ambition

Initially endless investigation,
Dehuminisation- a consequence of documentation

Away from life threatening conditions
Exploitation and persecution
Yet his home will not be forgotten
His mind distraught
His thoughts gone rotten
No doubt he does have some regret
Not all hopes will ever be met

His child is now safe, or so he may think
A void is felt.
To his ancestral past there is a lost link
Violence once enforced on himself, his child will thankfully not experience.

Leaving all he had for a better future
The guilt from his hands he attempts to rinse
Though his mind has been stained ever since
Leaving all he had for the undetermined and indefinite.

Responsibilities snatched away,
In all of this he has no say,
Handcuffed, considered a criminal,
Risked his life for a wish that to him is incredible

Looking at a world that now smiles back
Where excrutiating suffering is no longer true,
His child will not be traumatized by the same things he went through

Chronic pains, streams of tears,
Dying roses, burning fears...
Butterflies, bitten nails,
Cracked knuckles and torn sails,
Dreams, ambiotions, one major hope,
That one must instantly grope
To wake up with a smile on one's face
To have the chance to shape the human race

Now the tummy aches, jaw pains and the tears
Are out of too much laughter, no longer fears

Experiencing no more disaster
Farewell to oppression
Greetings to exhilaration and jubilation

Once victimized, forever traumatized
But dying free, with his faith, humility, family,
Personally destroyed forever
But has provided a better future
And hopefully suffering will now be experienced by fewer.

Running away from victimization of an extreme
Only to find out no nation from these problems is truly clean
Terrorization is passed on from generation down to generation
There is no true liberation from God's greatest creation.

Poem 6

Shoes tied tight
Faint morning light
Quiet noise and subtle chaos

To awaken to another obstacle
To awaken to the thrush of the crowd
Today we must try not to be as loud
To surrender to the foreign tongue

Strange to be back
To feel alien at home
No longer accustomed to previous lifestyle
Excess luxury
Unnecessary technology
Unpractised skills
Under appreciated natural surroundings

Fills us up with the courage to throw away modern stupidity
Replenish us with the spirit

Betrayed, let down,
not surprisingly unsurprised
immediate anger
but there able to contemplate
to let the spirit work his wonders
to put his actions into context
to reverse blowing out of proportion

Poem 5

Been a long battle
Been a strong angel
And now the time has come, to say farewell,
For the very last time.

Poem 4

Mental and psychological suffering
Mere paper will at the end undress
Possible success
Yet probable failure

Redemption only when fully complete
Doubt that authority I beat
Tried my utmost and that is that
That I would'nt go back is a fact
To the troublesome tick tocking in my head
Knowledge I attempted to be fed

Pensive again about all
Exploring possibilities
Scrutinizing probabilities

Bewildered by experience
So far not reassured by anything heard

Poem 3

Limbs strapped down
Every hair strand tied
Bones fused to the floor
Ignored as I cried

Feeling like nothing
Nothing without those I love
When no one's words seep in and I face the one above

Wanting to dive into the infested ocean
Feeling immune to the stinging beasts
Not wanting to return to the happy state
Heartbreak is all I await

A white gown, for the coffin
A mass of entangled electric wires
Ready to explode on me
Fed up of too many liars
False hope and lies all along
Doubting I do after all belong

Even now relatively relieved and gay
The flame is not as promising as it had seemed for a while back then
Fear what I may unintentionally one day do or say
From now on less confidence in those most trusted and more in that that I pray.