Charles Anthony Hood

  The congregants clapped their hands… And shouted, “Praise the lord!” Victory Pentecostal Church… “Jesus on the main line… Tell him what you want!”   David Dunn followed his father… Into the ministry: “Pentecostal Fire.” David had a secret he had never told: His boyfriend, John, was not a Christian, What’s more: David didn’t want to be…   A Christian either; he wasn’t sure what… He wanted to be, but he knew he wanted… To define himself —true freedom! Defining oneself, free from societal biases, Takes enough work to stay busy.   Stay busy and keep your mind occupied. Life has a way of becoming boring when you do nothing. Boredom turns to misery if not alleviated. Plenty of poor, depressed souls can attest to that. Knowing these things: David started his journey.   David posited: Mind is our most precious possession; Therefore, gaining wisdom is paramount. Without wisdom, kingdoms fall, and countries are crushe...

  There is nothing left for me here.      Dashed dreams and broken promises… Things said that cannot be taken back…      I’ll pack a bag, take a train, and run away.   I’ll run until the soles of my shoes melt,      Until my lungs can take no more, Until my muscles are on fire,      And my back aches and burns. I’ll run until my side splits open!   After all the running is over,      I’ll look back on all the ground I’ve covered… The waters I’ve crossed…      The forests, so bright in Autumn, I’ve enjoyed… The public parks I’ve visited…      And I’ll laugh and say, “This is life.”    

  I grew up in a cult that claimed to be… The sole proprietors of the truth. I thought truth was the most important thing, But I learned of some things more important: Vital existence and rational egoism.   One must protect oneself from… The Psychic Vampires and ideologues, Those who exploit weakness… To take advantage of the unsuspecting. Beware those who take but never give!    

  Walking along a razor’s edge, Consistent work I duly pledge! Not much room left for failure… My body has become my jailor.   If only I could escape for a moment, From the deep fire of torment… I would gladly sing you a song! Us together could never be wrong!   Many years I walked through the darkness… Holding a flag to celebrate starkness. My soul existed in distant shadows. I have too many secrets to disclose.   Lying here on a bed of death, Trying to atone with my last breath… Hoping to save my soul from plague. The meaning of life is just too vague.   Dreaming, I wander alone through fields of grass. My heart is a dense, heavy mass. Those looking for answers have my heart, “Don’t cry, or you’ll make me start.”   The only thing I knew to do… Was take your hand and run with you. We went to the edge of the moon, Looked at our blue orb and wrote a tune.   After my last moment on earth, Fin...