This is the place for me to post all of my thoughts I've written down over the years. On these pages you'll find stories, poems, and songs about love, spirituality, nonsensical meanderings, and thoughtful ponderings. These are my past and present innermost thoughts, so be prepared to enter the mind-field of Royce Waxenfelter.
Tuesday, January 2, 2024
Maui With You
Monday, December 11, 2023
Simple Plan For Livin'
Do justly
Walk humbly with your God
That’s what the Lord requires of you
Love mercy
Do justly
Walk humbly with your God
The key to livin’, you know it’s true
Love others
Be honest
Walk humbly with your God
That’s the best thing you could ever to do
Love others
Be honest
Walk humbly with your God
Blessings gonna come to you
Forgive wrongs
Give freely
Walk humbly with your God
You know this ain’t nothin’ new
Forgive wrongs
Give freely
Walk humbly with your God
Believe God’s Word, you know it’s true
by Royce Waxenfelter
12.11.23
Inspired by Micah 6:8 “He has shown you what is good and what the Lord requires of you: To do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.”
Friday, December 8, 2023
The Moss Gatherer
Do you hum like a lyre, do you sing like a lark?
Is your goal to be wealthy or mighty in power?
Or purify the air hour after hour?
Reaching up, you guard from wind and rain
Perhaps that’s your mission, your clever game?
Or is it to paint the hillside with color?
To bring life to the helpless like a nurturing mother?
The Great Oak stands still, doesn’t give a response
The Great Oak exists among creatures and fronds
The Great Oak is all you expect it to be
The Great Oak gathers moss, the Great Oak you see
Oh, Great Oak, how dense is your core?
Do you hope to improve, strive to do more?
Is your mission to serve or be catered to?
To have news spread abroad of all that you do?
Rooted and grounded, sturdy and sound
Do you yearn to disrupt, to bore holes in the ground?
A hardened shell covers your fortified fruit
Splendor measured in height, a bark robe your suit
The Great Oak stands still, doesn’t give a response
The Great Oak exists among creatures and fronds
The Great Oak is nothing you expect it to be
The Great Oak gathers moss, the Great Oak you see
12.08.23
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
Caution (She's Gone)
You’re going to watch her go
Out of the warm, into the storm
Time to shade the sight away
Tears be warned
You’re going to slowly fall
Out of the glands, into empty hands
Time to issue a big box of tissue
Feet be warned
You’re going to take a hike
Out of her life, into strife
Time to reinforce your soul
Heart be warned
You’re going to explode
Catching the flak from the attack
Time to schedule surgery
Brain be warned
You’re going to disbelieve
Out of your mind, into the grind
Time to address what you repress
Bed be warned
You’re going to feel empty
Out of together into forever
Time to stay, never be made
Gut be warned
You’re going to get wrenched
No more satisfaction, wretch reaction
Time to regret and get upset
Hands be warned
You’re going to be wringing
Clenched in a ball, into the wall
Time to cling, oh wretched ring
Arms be warmed
You’re going to be lonely
Out of embracing, now just a-wasting
Time to let go of all you know
Lips be warned
You’re going to be drying
What was the finest is merely a minus
Time to be missing what you’ve been kissing
Ears be warned
You’re going to sound hollow
Out of sweet harmony into an enemy
Time to tune into an echo
By Royce Waxenfelter
11.28.23
Insert Apology
I’m still right here where you found me, but you long to forge ahead to greater things
I won’t grow or move or heed to any wisdom
That’s not who I am, not part of my kingdom
Now you won’t ever see me eye to eye
Because the walls of my heart are solidified
As stubborn as a mule, I’m not listening
As sure as the gloss on your lips is still glistening
It’d take all the king’s men and horses to budge me
So if you want it baby, here, insert apology
Stout walls surround me, to advice I’m not adhering
I’m still right here where you found me, but you long to forge ahead to greater things
A donkey makes a choice to stand his ground
I stomp and scream and get so mad my fists will pound
There’s a glorious prize waiting just beyond the hill
But I’d have to relinquish my pride, give up my persistent will
As broken as the vase I threw down on the floor
But I won’t cry when you decide you’re out the door
It won’t take long to get to know my depths, consider me
And if you want to baby, here, insert apology
It’s not part of my mindset or biology
So if you expect it baby, here, insert apology
By Royce Waxenfelter
11.28.23
Tuesday, November 21, 2023
Heaven Bound
Your face reveals the glory
Your hands are full of grace
Your arms reach out to me
My sins have been erased
My heart no longer mourns
I’m going to leave this place
I can’t run fast enough
Beyond all time and space
I’m coming home to you
By Royce Waxenfelter
11/21/23
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
The Iron in Irony
Monday, October 30, 2023
The Artist's Brush
I swirl and I dip and I come up to a point
I flip with a flourish and precisely square a joint
A dap and I dabble, I get shaky near the edge
I form boundaries out of nothing, a barrier, a hedge
I am the artist’s brush
I am here at His command
There are times he must cover over my previous mistakes
Where I’ve rushed out on my own or pushed against what he creates
Even though His hand is steady I can spring a random splatter
I’ve been greedy grabbing too much paint when He dips me in the platter
I cascade and pirouette, I sink a thickened line
I glisten or I dry up like fruit fallen from vine
I swoop and I tornado and I smooth back down again
I plant a tiny spot of brightness at the back of a dark den
I am the artist’s brush
I am here at His command
Whatever idea He might conceive
I trust His judgments, I believe
I will spread like watercolor or, if He decides, an oily grease
Knowing all the while I’m part of His great masterpiece!
By Royce Waxenfelter
10.30.23
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
That's Right
You probably think I’m crazy, just talking to the air
My prayers to you may seem something like despair
Well you don’t know the half of it, I’m desperate as can be
I’ll take every chance I get to secure eternity
That’s right, my God saves
That’s right, everyday
That’s right, my soul thrives
That’s right, Jesus is alive!
You probably wonder how I believe in such complete nonsense
You probably need to touch and feel in the current tense
Well I’m not bound by time or space or any other thing
My God’s bigger than all of that, that is why I sing
That’s right, my God saves
That’s right, everyday
That’s right, my soul thrives
That’s right, Jesus is alive!
You probably think Jesus sounds like an old zombie
That life from death sounds like something from a ghost story
It’s more than that, the turning point of all of history
Christ conquered sin and made the way to Heaven for you and me
That’s right, my God saves
That’s right, everyday
That’s right, my soul thrives
That’s right, Jesus is alive!
You’ve probably heard science proves Christians are not right
But science changes everyday so which theory is right?
My God is constant, never changing, Creator of all things
Until you can then I will choose to accept the love God brings
That’s right, my God saves
That’s right, everyday
That’s right, my soul thrives
That’s right, Jesus is alive!
You probably think that I’m no fun, bound by do’s and don’ts
But that’s not true I serve a God who’s forgiven all my loans
And there’s no place I’d rather be than to be free from all my sin
I choose abundant life, joy not strife, are you listenin’?
That’s right, my God saves
That’s right, everyday
That’s right, my soul thrives
That’s right, Jesus is alive!
You probably see Christians failing, giving God a bad reputation
Hypocrisy and broken promises at the heart of the Christian nation
You know it’s true, I will fail you, for I am just a sinner
But I’m forgiven and God’s turned me from loser into winner
That’s right, my God saves
That’s right, everyday
That’s right, my soul thrives
That’s right, Jesus is alive!
You may wonder why I choose to live in persecution
Why suffer ridicule in Jesus’ name? Is that the best solution?
All I know is what I’ve lived and I’ve experienced
A grace and peace, a lasting hope, assured deliverance!
That’s right, my God saves
That’s right, everyday
That’s right, my soul thrives
That’s right, Jesus is alive!
By Royce Waxenfelter
10.04.23
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
Creation Sensation
“I bet you wish you could see what we see.”
I feel the river rushing over me
It says “With rhythm and ripple I do not congeal.”
The blackberry thorn digs into my skin
Tells me “Thorns are a byproduct of mankind’s sin.”
Ink from a squid fills up my pen
It writes “Wonder and wandering are lessons of wind.”
Can you taste the elation of a fresh fig explosion
Echo joy abounding without erosion?
Everything you see has a message for you
Do you watch intently to reveal creation’s truth?
The face of a cliff looms tall up ahead
Says “Wisdom and knowledge are far from dead.”
The gems in the earth hide glory and call
“Dig deep to reveal a wonderous haul.”
The snow falling gently like dogwood’s in bloom
Sings “My shapes, they all vary, like sands on a dune.”
I trip on a rock jutting out of the ground
“My exterior is jagged like your feelings.” Profound.
Can you hear repetition in waves of the ocean?
The drumming, the pounding, the timeless emotion?
Everything you feel has a message for you
Do you absorb intently creation’s truth?
Shrimp ‘neath the water go clickety clack
The precursory sound of a train on a track
Does the energy shrimp use to rub legs together
Match the upward thrust of a Peregrines’ feather?
If so, one is silent and the other is loud
Is there a lesson, can we sound it all out?
Can we communicate utterances to all living things?
Whistle calls of hello as the songbird sings?
I will ask the Creator, only He knows
The language of all, as to all He bestows.
Everything you hear has a message for you
Do you listen intently to hear the Creator’s truth?
By Royce Waxenfelter
9/19/23
Saturday, September 2, 2023
Tracks
And watched along the way
The trees they ran
Past this stationary man
Hadn’t gone far
A sandwich in the dining car
Wanted to stay
To absorb the sway
A quick nap
A quicker game of cards
Because I can
No traffic jam
Thousands of pounds moving
The same direction. Facts.
Perpetual are the stories gained
Like a hobo on the tracks
Enter a mountain
Plunge out of the light
This deep dark tunnel
Echoes ancient dynamite
Consider the design
The slow curving line
Timber and iron
Connect cities and mines
Billionaires made
Resources shared
Advancement of culture
The cost of lives not spared
Jobs and pollution remain
Dichotomy attacks
Perpetual are the stories gained
On these vagabond tracks
By Royce Waxenfelter
3/18/23
Friday, August 11, 2023
Marble Blue
The ground begins to race along
Creates a path to move upon
Tree limbs reach out to point the way
Stars guide by night, birds by day
Journey with me on this marble blue
Experience every sound; every hue
Let go of self, become the motion
Move with the tide, be an ocean
Drift and wander wherever you can
Ditch the calendar; scrap the plan
Sink into sleep, immersed in dream
Swirling with your brain jet-stream
Escape the boxes, tear down fences
Drop the façade and learned defenses
Rip away conformists glue
Realize you’re the only you
Side-step anything contrary
Remember it’s all temporary
Focus on the path before you
Lift up others, help them pull through
Forgive those who’ve deeply cut
Rise above the grudgers rut
Laugh and smile and cry and feel
Join me on this plane surreal
Step into a grander light
Soar on clouds above in flight
Float to Heaven on a chariot ride
With eternal joy you shall abide
By Royce Waxenfelter
8/11/23
Wednesday, August 9, 2023
Stressed?
Drowning in stress
Call out to Jesus
He has redeemed us
Exhausted and numb?
He has overcome
Exceptional blessing
Eliminate guessing
The Spirit of Truth
Is positive proof
Rely on the Lord
Relaxed and restored
Trust in the Maker
A mover and shaker
When you confide
God will provide
Burdens unloaded
Blessings bestowed
Uniquely gifted
Spiritually lifted
Set self aside
In Heaven abide
A kingdom renowned
Where joy abounds
Loosen life’s rope
With Heavenly hope
By Royce Waxenfelter
10/28/19
Friday, August 4, 2023
Hell Draws Nigh
Boughs they are swaying
Horses are braying
Clouds in the sky are swiftly not staying
There is a storm on the horizon
Its time drawing nigh
I look deep in her eyes and
I say, “We’ve got to fly”
Away from impending doom
Away from all dread
Where peace overrules gloom
Like a comforting bed
A tempest is turning
Forests are burning
I scarcely have time to deliver my warning
Flee from destruction
Head to high ground
Escape the abduction
Of the ravenous hound
There is a great surging wave
Dark clouds appear
Which souls will be saved
Which souls remain in fear
Some scoff and shun me
Some try to outrun me
I run to my savior whose sacrifice won me
Why wait for disaster
Just to see if it’s real
Go instead to the Master
He will hear your appeal
Whisked away from eternal damnation
Removed from harm’s way
To a brand new creation
Heaven’s glorious array
Will you cringe, will you cry
Slowly open one eye
What is your plan now that Hell draws nigh?
By Royce Waxenfelter
8/4/23
Wednesday, August 2, 2023
Changed
Never used to bring my troubles
To anyone but myself
Never used to read by Bible on the dusty shelf
Never used to need forgiveness
I’d just harbor all the bitter
And I’d spit it out like venom, didn’t want your help
But one day I broke down crying
Under the weight of my own problems
And I knew I needed something so much better than my plan
Since I felt like dying
I gave my life to Jesus
He must’ve have heard me knocking, and let me in
I used to want be rich
Have more money than my father
To never have to work another day in my life
But God changed my heart entirely
Now I live my life more quietly
I place value in the richness of relationship
There’s a liberty in dying
To selfish motivation
When you give desires to Jesus they return improved
There’s a freedom that’s inspiring
Underneath the fount of blessing
All it takes is a confession, give up your sin
When I was younger I was stronger
I thought I would live forever
I wanted fame and fortune to lift me up
But it all just came up empty
Until I realized there’s plenty
Of joy to go around up in eternity
So I set my eyes on Heaven
And I call upon my savior
He gave his life that I may see eternity
Eternity in Heaven
A goal grounded in foundation
Of the only God who gave His life to save my soul
Now that God has changed me
All those dreams I had so early
Wouldn’t want them back
I don’t have what the world wants
And I don’t have fame or fortune
Now I have something so much better than my plan
There’s a better way of living
And I say this from experience
Of a man who’s tried it both ways and lived to tell the tale
There’s a life worth living today
All you have to do is to say
“Jesus I’ll follow you, I’ll give up my way.”
By Royce Waxenfelter
2.22.23
Note: to the tune of “Love Like This” by Ben Rector
Miserable Me
I’ve messed it up before, I’m going to mess it up again,
Repeat that bad behavior, never let myself win,
I wouldn’t chance a laugh, I wouldn’t dare to smile,
If you’re waiting for me to change it’s gonna be a while.
When everything starts going well,
Whenever life starts to jive and gel,
I’ve got to set the dial back to terrible,
I am only happy when I am feeling miserable.
I’m only happy when I’m miserable
I lead my life disgusted
I steal so I get busted
Sit in the rain ‘til I am rusted
I’m only happy when I’m miserable
The pity party in my mind is full of doubt and loathing,
When I want to express myself, I put on my drab clothing,
When I see a glimpse hope I throw it in the grinder,
I grind it into pieces, I serve it as a reminder.
I don’t deserve pleasure or a day down at the beach,
Everything everyone else has is simply out of reach,
The day I get a raise is the day I’m going to quit,
If you try to cheer me up, I’m going to throw a fit.
I’m only happy when I’m miserable
Going to treat myself unkind
Put myself into a bind
Walk around like I am blind
I’m only happy when I’m miserable
They say misery loves company but they don’t know ‘bout me,
I’ll mope around all by myself ‘til you feel bad for me,
It doesn’t take a psychiatrist to see that I’m in danger,
Put me back inside those padded walls where I am not a stranger.
I’ll say what I need to, get back out into the fray,
The problems will keep coming back, that’s the part I play,
You should take me seriously, though I won’t consider you,
I’ll wallow in my misery ‘cause that’s just what I do.
I’m only happy when I’m miserable
Going to cry out an alarm
Maybe do myself some harm
Wrench and twist my own arm
I’m only happy when I’m miserable
By Royce Waxenfelter
7/24/23
An Ode to Buffalo Joe
Well I left Boston one sunny day about a quarter to ten
Didn’t know where I should go, wish I knew much more back then
I caught the greyhound goin’ west, I pulled my hat down low
Closed my eyes and when I woke up, there was snow on my window
I asked the driver “Where are we, man?” thinkin’ he should know
I reached down in, pulled my pockets out, there was nothin’ much to show
He just frowned, ushered me out and said ‘The streets of Buffalo”
Well the wind up there will blow straight through your body and your soul
I found shelter in an alley downtown underneath a cardboard box
Shivered all night, I could barely feel the toes within my socks
When mornin’ came I made up my mind to get out of Buffalo
I hitched a ride to Orchard Park where they was puttin’ on a show
Buffalo Bills they called themselves, I had seen them on TV
A history of passionate fans, now one of them was me
I snuck in behind a vendor cart, found my way out to the stands
Fans were stompin’ on the metal floor, they had mittens on their hands
Nearly got my eye poked out by a hat with pointed horns
I was lucky just to find a place to sit and watch the show
The big ‘ol man I sat beside introduced himself as Joe
I joked “Is that Cribbs or Ferguson?”, he said “DeLamielleure”
As gregarious and humble as any man I’d ever known
He told me of his playin’ days, of the hall of fame, and more
They won the game, the crowd went wild, the rest you don’t need to know
But I’ll never forget those frozen stands where I met Buffalo Joe
Buffalo Joe stood six foot three with muscles made of brick
Pavin’ the way for running backs, he’d bore holes three feet thick
With McKenzie on the other side they weighed half a thousand pounds
Shove ‘em back now Buffalo Joe, pathways for touchdowns
Go, go, Buffalo Joe, the perennial All-Pro
Number sixty-eight on his jersey, the number one guy I know
Go, go, Buffalo Joe, I’d like to thank you man
For bein’ kind, I hope you know I’ll always be a fan
By Royce Waxenfelter
6/2/23
Mapping Eternity
In a world full of places do you know where to go?
In a universe moving faster than blinks do you know what to know?
The stars are in place, or seemingly so
Do the steps you take determine where you go?
Less than a speck in a galaxy yet you want control
You do what you can, but is it all for show?
The sun blares and blisters
Wind generates twisters
Mountains explode and the cliffsides erode
Less than a blip in time yet you head down the road
Explorers on oceans used stars for navigation
Stars that have been moving since the dawn of creation
Yet the rate the stars travel is steady to gauge
So where will you end up in the next epic age?
Your body is here now, just for a while
So you do what you can, you conjure a smile
You try to find joy in every mile
You laugh when you can, you try to have style
It’s still very fleeting and it doesn’t make sense
That all this was meant for life to be spent
In search of a journey with your feet in cement
Instead, what if Heaven determined the time that you spend?
Beyond universes, beyond suns and stars
Beyond hurt feelings and personal scars
But within your grasp if you give up control
Is a place where eternity is meant for your soul
A meaningful prize at the end of the rope
A surety gained, a realized hope
A wondrous glory is meant to be found
By those willing to follow Jesus’ words so profound
Not me you might say, Jesus isn’t for me
With so many paths, I’ll be the one to find one meant for me
While it’s true that the map you follow is for you to determine
Remember to consider failings with learnings
Place what you’ve learned like a coin in your purse
How does it measure against the vast universe
Think about space and time; realize it’s odd
To think that your concept is bigger than God
The map to eternity is open for you to read
The Bible is the God-given map that you need
To give meaning to this life for now and forever
To make sure your destination is worth the endeavor
In a world full of places do you know where to go?
In a universe moving faster than blinks do you know what to know?
By Royce Waxenfelter
05/22/23
Gone, So Long
I took a day to wonder why
The day you left, the life I cry
Well I went out to see the sun
There’s only grey, the light is gone
I thought about the time we had
The things we shared when things were bad
We had something deep, something true
But all that’s left is dismal blue
You oo-oo-oo oo
Are gone
You oo-oo-oo oo
So long
Like a snowflake in the wind you are gone
Like a leaf out on the river you float along
Like a cloud up in the sky you dissipate
Like water down the drain on a rainy day
I spent the morning with my old man
He told me there’s a bigger plan
I scoffed at him and bit my lip
It wasn’t him you gave the slip
Now each day feels like a year
As sadness fuels my lonely fear
It’s never ending, where are you
You’re not with me, that much is true
You oo-oo-oo oo
Are gone
You oo-oo-oo oo
So long
Someday I hope you realize
That I was meant to be your guy
Someday you’ll know my big regret
Until that day, I’ll be in debt
Will you listen to my plea
Why are you so sick of me
What did I do to seal my fate
To make you scrape me off your plate
You oo-oo-oo oo
Are gone
You oo-oo-oo oo
So long
Now I sit here all depressed
In my own home I’m like a guest
Nothing here is comforting
This empty couch, this empty ring
For now I have to just pretend
And wish I did much more to mend
I should have done things differently
Then maybe you’d be here with me
But You oo-oo-oo oo
Are gone
You oo-oo-oo oo
So long
Like a snowflake in the wind you are gone
Like a leaf out on the river you float along
Like a cloud up in the sky you dissipate
Like water down the drain on a rainy day
You oo-oo-oo oo
Are gone
You oo-oo-oo oo
So long
By Royce Waxenfelter
2/1/23
Fall Downfall
I stumble in for coffee, I spit on the ground
I humbly despise this New England town
I step outside and the colors fall down
All of God’s splendor are the leaves on the ground
I get what I need and drag myself home
I sit on the couch, I sit all alone
I escape to my phone to buy gems that aren’t real
But there’s no escaping the regret that I feel
“Boston in the fall,” she said
Her bucket list dream
But we never made it
As sad as it seems
I used to get high, an excuse to get low
My wife was patient, much more than you’d know
I’d lie and I’d promise “We’ll get there someday,
We’ll travel the world, we’ll see everything.”
But I’d spend all my time in a world in my phone
The day my wife died she was virtually alone
A little too late and after withdrawal
I packed and I moved up to Boston that fall
“Boston in the fall,” she said
Her bucket list dream
But we never made it
As sad as it seems
I should have done right by her, but I put it off
Now whatever I try to do just isn’t enough
I just quit trying again and close all the blinds
Try to black out the colors engrained in my mind
I dream she is here with me, Boston in the fall
Her eyes full of jubilance, her spirit enthralled
Her hopeful exuberance, her gleeful call
My waking reality is my fall downfall
“Boston in the fall,” she said
Her bucket list dream
But we never made it
As sad as it seems
By Royce Waxenfelter
4/19/23
All in All
I am a ray I am essence of light I inhabit a leaf On the limb of a tree I fall to the ground Melt into the soil Maker of nature The holder o...
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Stout walls surround me, to advice I’m not adhering I’m still right here where you found me, but you long to forge ahead to greater things ...
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You aren’t here anymore The emptiness is haunting How will we live without you? The climb ahead is daunting If you were here today Y...
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The ground begins to race along Creates a path to move upon Tree limbs reach out to point the way Stars guide by night, birds by day Journey...