Day Two

7:36 PM

Posted by Stan Schlueter

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"Backslider"
Toadies

Bended knee
Nine years old
Waitin' for...
Just one word!

I was thinkin' of all the things
My daddy told me of
Sin and salvation and
Manhood and dignity...

All that time
In the dark
Just one word...
Backslider!

I remember the day I stepped
Into the water
My daddy held me in his hands
And pushed my head under
And said...

Son I am
So proud.
Just one word...
Backslider!

Well I opened my eyes
And my daddy held me in his hands
I looked up through the water
And thought I saw Jesus, and then...

Well I threw up my hands!
And I heard, Amen!
And I prayed, sweet Jesus
Don't let me become a backslider!


The clanging of silence interrupted my sleep. Sliding back under the covers my thoughts drifted quickly to sleep. The safety of the blankets made me not want to think about the alarm clock that would most assuredly ring in a few hours. Looking at the ceiling I see the time projected in red letters. Noticing the time is 5:55 exactly I roll over and go to sleep.

The next morning I was tired. Nothing out of the ordinary. Today is the day that I change the rules. Not knowing the effect of my back sliding I move forward. With no sliding pants to protect me from the gravel near the bases I prepare for the worst. A life spent in the fast lane, changing lanes to make my beliefs stay in line, is coming to an end.
"What's the purpose of life?" a friend asked me. "Without changing lanes yet remaining on the highway?" "I'm excited about lunch I told him." All of this going through my head as I prepare for the alarm clock. The alarm rings, as expected, and the morning was just as dreadful as I imagined. How many days will the alarm ring?
As time has a habit of doing it heals things. The alarm still rings but less frequently. The freedom I experience from staying in one lane is emmense. Learning to enjoy my lane is a struggle at times, but every mile I stay in my lane is another mile that I am free.

I Come From the Water

9:42 AM

Posted by Stan Schlueter

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I Come From The Water
(Toadies)

I come from the water
I crawled upon the shore
I left my brothers there
I got what I came for

I sucked that hot air in
And rolled upon the sand
Emerged beneath the sun
To be a man.

I come from the water
I come from the water
That weren't no easy thing
It's more than nature
It's like my destiny

I stood upon these legs
And held my head up high
Emerged beneath the sun
To start a new life

I Come From the water

Life in the desert
Just to be together
The sand forever
The same forever
It moves beneath me
It pulls my body
My pulse beats hotter
So far from the water

I love to see the sun
In spite of all it's done
I pray for shade and rain
I pray to live again
I come from the water




Having washed up on the shore I awake to the beating sun. Sand under my nails and even in my nostrils. For the first time I notice the heavy taste of salt as a I lick my lips, dried blood meeting my tongue. Rolling onto my back I stare up at the sky. Am I still moving? I move my hand over my eyes to shield the sun but realize nothing happened. My hand is glued to the ground. Unable to muster enough strength to block the laser like beam from the sun I lay on the ground. Wondering what happens next. I've been in the rocking sea for so long I feel strangely out of place on land.

After laying for what seemed like an eternity I roll on my side to see where I landed. A split second of hope that perhaps I ended at home. After seeing the palm trees the hope faltered and fizzled till only a faint trail of smoke remained in my mind like that of a blown out match. Still unable to stand up I prop myself up on my elbow. Looking down the West, at least I think it is West, I am not quite sure, I see countless miles of shore line.

I test my legs, I can at least bend them with their own strength. I assume I should get out of the tide as I have no idea what time it is at my new home, but something inside of me wants to stay in the water. As I rise and prepare for the challenges that will meet me I remember a verse from my childhood.

"I stood upon these legs
And held my head up high
Emerged beneath the sun
To start a new life"

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