Stinky Footed Lover

I love you more than words could ever say
Every dragon imagined I would slay
Please stay, please stay, please stay

But your feet stink in bed and I don't think
I can find it in my heart to say
My nose is something you daily slay
but do please stay anyway.

Your breath sometimes leaves something to be desired
as I desire you more than anything I've ever known before
Your dietary desires often leave me wishing
a breath mint was in your vocabulary
But don't you dare go away.

Because you will always be my stinky footed lover
Silhouetted in the darker corners of my black and white world
Leaning into embraces filled with traces of color
Emblazened with a mutual history of mistakes
Known and unknown, we see through a glass darkly
Even of ourselves.

Somehow we still manage to see each other through our blind spots
Glimmering hints of who we are to ourselves and each other
As we lie next to each other alone together
Naked and afraid through this long dark night
of love and fear, holding tight to something we both barely grasp
And yet, as I lie alongside you in this thick darkness
Please stay, please stay, please stay my stinky footed lover.

My GCTS Resignation Letter

Dear Tim, Jay and Robin,

It it is with sadness and joy that I tell you all that I will be resigning my position at GCTS at the end of January of 2019. I have been blessed beyond measure by this beloved community over these last nine years. You all have stood by me through thick and thin. I will, by God's calling, return to NYC to work with the at-risk populations of homeless and other at risk groups, especially the LGBTQ youth.

My time at GCTS has been extraordinary. This school and community have stood by my side through every trial and triumph. My love for you all cannot ever be adequately described. Tim, you're the best boss I've ever had. You've been beyond fair to me over these years.

My hope and prayer is that I can help in this passage to make sure that GCTS will continue to flourish as you all continue to carry the torch of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Blessings to you all,

John William Brandkamp

Skins of Animals

I wrap myself in the skins of animals
Enfolding me
Keeping me warm
In their Death Shrouds

Sacrificial Lambs
Worn and torn
Wearing thin
As the ages pass

Sheltered until the knife digs deep
Slicing away my skin
So someone else
Might feel my old warmth

Smile in your sleep
As you slumber underneath
My hide and seek hide
Sleeps

AD v 2.0

We'll see how this one goes. Let the rebuilding begin!