Calvary Call, by Amory McKeever

I pray this gospel be your shield

and righteous defense forever more
That the Son of Heaven never yields,
for when the adversary's at the door,
if we want peace, prepare for war

Sell all your possessions and buy a sword
Not just a blade made of iron or steel,

but one made of powerful chords

For your body is a righteous temple

filled with the divine breath of the Lord

A vessel containing the gift of the spirit

that must be kept from being wounded

Though not by any merely physical hit,

but rather the gnashing of furious teeth

Which burn with jealousy deep in the pit

Down where the liar hates your soul,

his duties are focused on your destruction

To see you drown in a lake of coal,

he will lie, cheat, and steal if he must

in order for you to abandon your goals

Know that the strength of God never leaves us

Be confident in the blessing of the cross

That wretched wraith will never seize us

The call of the grave has been conquered

by the power and the glory in the name of Jesus

No Going Back, by Amory McKeever

No, I don't ever wish I was young again

I don't want to fight with my brother again

Or see my dad cheat on my mother again

Hold a knife to her stomach again

When she confronts him about the others again

I don't want to pack our things and move again

Just one step ahead of the police again

Because he went and ripped some people off again

Using fake names in another state again

Now he's back in those handcuffs again

Making the front page of the paper again

Getting run out of town by the neighbors again

Sleeping in my aunt and uncles attic again

Only to see my mom take him back again

We go boxing up another house again

Dying's the only reason it didn't happen again

So I won't ever use his last name again

And when this ever crosses my brain again

I'm reminded to be the father he never was and then

I take my son out for some ice cream again

Easy Ink, by Amory McKeever

It could be a butterfly in rain

a famous quote from Mark Twain

trademark sign of the Wu Tang

hearts and stars around their name

or a tribal print it's all the same

I've even seen a dragon's fire

two tightrope lover's on a wire

fantastically drawn crystal spires

treasures men die to acquire

words of purity on many liars

Placed right above their waistline

flowers, unicorns, or both entwined

the occasional steam-punk design 

on display like open signs

for such decorated concubines

Murals painted like sacrament

from mundane to the extravagant

they're absolutely adamant

to prove that they're not abstinent

and ready for the next inhabitant

Where's My Share?, by Amory McKeever

You'll never get to see me

They say what I have doesn't sell

I'm the undigested meal

that got spit out of hell

I've been a gym rat for years

But I haven't got any swell

Pushing all of my chips forward

Without any tells

Now I got some raw talent

They'll give me that

I'm not spittin' my way out

of a life of click-clacks

I may be from a broken home

but passed the background for my gat

I'm half brown and half white

So when I get stopped

for an unbroken tail light

I'm let off with  warning

and a "have a good night"

Now daddy died in prison

And sometimes he pulled a knife

But it wasn't a dirty shiv

it was diabetes took his life

My story isn't hood enough

to relate to the streets

They say I'm just not dirty

I've got an empty rap sheet

I guess they never heard

a vocabulary like mine

So I'll start working on a beat

that will surely blow their mind

I'll lay down a track on their crew

With unbelievable rhymes

Until their brains turn to goo

And they pull a contract to sign

Red, by Amory McKeever

True loves first kiss
they were so sure
would be the end of this
that was the cure

Each and every brave man
would try to make their way
Through the barren land
all night and day

In spite of acid rain
that fell from her eyes
To defeat the years of pain
to overcome the lies

Each and every knight
ignored the bodies of the past
Armed with ego's might
claimed to be the last

She was a trophy to win
they'd conquer her in bed,
but for those she let in
it was off with their heads

They thought that they were great
men of reputation

They all fell for the bait
of her beguiled flirtation

Notches on her bedpost
they would all become
Wander around like ghosts
who died one by one

Thinking she was fragile
oh how they got played
It was them who were unraveled
by her tempestuous charade

She wasn't just the cherry
for some little boys ice cream

She wasn't Miss February
in some losers wet dream

She wasn't a ceramic doll
for someone else to smash
She was a fireball
a phoenix rising from the ash

Seeing how she slayed them all
you might find it unfair
But that'll be your downfall
you will not be spared

She'll lure you in with promises
that you're the special one,
but soon you'll be anonymous
one more suit of armor undone

True loves first kiss
they say that it's the cure
to bring an end to this
I am not so sure

Proper Vows, by Amory McKeever

Will you hold me tight

Even if I let go of my body
Will you settle for broke

If we're up nights praying for the lottery

Will you kiss my mouth

The very same one that cusses you out

Will you be strong

Because I can't carry all this doubt

Will you hold my hand

Whisper softly to calm my fists

Will you forgive

Despite my guilt for causing all of this

Will you stick around

When I play cruel and unusual games

Will you understand

That it's coming from a place of shame

Will you look back

At whatever made you fall in love

Will you ignore

That who I am is not enough

Will you be my fan

If you hear someone tear me down

Will you be my worst critic

If you see me outgrow my crown

Will you wear my ring

Even if all it's made of is copper

Will you be my queen

If all I am is the king of paupers

Will we grow old
Waiting in line at the pharmacy
Get our prescriptions filled
So we can drift off to sleep

An Abduction, by Amory McKeever

A silver falcon

faster than I've ever seen

Across the sky back and forth

Went south at first then went north

Came back and stopped above my head

a blast of light  felt cold and dead


I'm dragged across a dirty floor

like sand and seaweed

on a deserted shore

Their grip strangles around my neck

and pulled me into a darkened box

so tight that I could barely fit

Eventually my crate was opened

how long it was I forget

They injected me with chemicals

and shoved me down into a pit


Caged me up like an animal

where there were walls that I couldn't see

tunnels made of stars and stone

The only sounds were my screams

and I soon forgot the smell of home

Is this what happened to my friends

and all the others that went missing

Is this where they met their ends


Should I even count the days

since these unidentified kidnappers

Flew away with us like prey

They seem to come in many shapes

beings tall, short, fat and thin

I fear they'll get my family too

They watch me with a toothy grin

Sign says "Welcome to the Zoo"