What Do I Make Of You? (A Lament)
Written and Recorded by Tara and Eric Park

Frailty interrupts a life with whispering voice
Unceremonious, waits not for one’s choice
All delusions of invincibility
Fade like flickering dreams not meant to be
 
You’ve been among us for a year and a half by now
You manifest your presence in the furrows of his brow
He so patiently ponders all you’ve done
While quietly wondering when you’ll end what you’ve begun
 
So what do I make of you?
I refuse to deify or dread or demonize your power
So what do I make of you?
 
The precision of your movement almost seems absurd
You function with a mind of your own, or so I’ve heard
Unresponsive to tears shed over you
Unrepentant, you do what you will do
 
This one whose body you’ve seen fit to occupy
This one whose courage you could only magnify
He so gracefully holds all the things he’s heard
While you are unimpressed and undeterred
 
So what do I make of you?
I refuse to deify or dread or demonize your power
So what do I make of you?
 
I’m convinced that neither death nor life will ever separate us
From the One whose Word is heard above the claims of random fate
I’m convinced that neither height nor depth nor demons anywhere
Will break the covenant that we in grace are privileged to share
 
His mortality makes its presence known
Unceremonious, chills one to the bone
He so faithfully prays all the prayers he knows
Glimpsing eternity as the cancer grows
 
So what do I make of you?
I refuse to deify or dread or demonize your power?
So what do I make of you?
I suppose that in the long run I’ll look past you
To the One who hides your meaning deep within the things of providence
 
Frailty interrupts a life with whispering voice

Things Unseen

What Do I Make of You (A Lament)

Might You Be
(Words and Music by Eric Park—except the included portion of “What Child Is This,” lyrics by William Chatterton Dix, set to the tune of “Greensleeves,” a traditional English folk song)

Might you be Deity
Cradled within these human arms sleeping peacefully
Might you be Royalty
Sovereign without a crown trusting me completely
Might you be Jubilee
Come to redeem your people, come to bring liberty
Might you be Charity
Love breathing human breath lying here to save me

But the angel said as much to me
A peasant girl’s epiphany
Still, I’m left wondering were his words meant for another
But let’s let go the future now, we cannot see it anyhow
Tonight just be my precious boy, and I will be your mother

What child is this who laid to rest
On Mary's lap is sleeping
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
While shepherds watch are  keeping

This, this is Christ the king
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
Haste, haste to bring him laud
The babe, the son of Mary

Might you be Prophecy
Words of the ancient ones fulfilled in your infancy
Might you be Purity
One day to bear the stain of our vain iniquity

But the angel said as much to me
A peasant girl’s epiphany
Still, I’m left wondering were his words meant for another
But let’s let go the future now, we cannot see it anyhow
Tonight just be my precious boy, and I will be your mother

Might You Be

“Last Words”
Woman, now behold your son
Son, behold your mother here
Soon my journey will be done
My last breath is drawing near
It would ease my broken heart
If a family has begun
No need now to be apart
Woman, now behold your son

Man beside me, dying too
Penitent with your last breath
Hear now what I say to you
There is life beyond your death
Let me heal your broken heart
Let me set a captive free
I will gladly take your part
Come be in paradise with me

And the soldier that day
When he witnessed the way
The way in which Jesus did breathe his last breath
The soldier stood by
Wiped a tear from his eye, and said
“Surely we’ve beaten God’s own Son to death”
“Surely we’ve beaten God’s own Son to death”

Why have you forsaken me
Warmth of blood upon my brow
There’s no comfort on this tree
There’s no sense of your love now
It would ease my bitter pain
If you’d make your presence new
I thirst for water, fresh like rain
But even more I thirst for you

Father, now forgive this land
Unaware of what they do
They do not yet understand
By killing me they’re killing you
It is finished, life is done
My spirit’s in your gentle care
May the victory now be won
Bring me home, embrace me there

And the soldier that day
When he witnessed the way
The way in which Jesus did breathe his last breath
The soldier stood by
Wiped a tear from his eye, and said
“Surely we’ve beaten God’s own Son to death”
“Surely we’ve beaten God’s own Son to death”

It would ease my broken heart
If my work were not in vain
Let my spirit now depart
Bring redemption to this pain

Mixed Metaphors

Last Words

Play (Words and music by Eric Park)

Long ago when God rested on the 7th day
It wasn’t time for sleeping or a holiday
Maybe it was a day to soak up the newborn sun
A playful recreation in the light of what he’d done

If we’re made in the image of this kind of God
This working, playing, moving, resting kind of God
Then deep within our soul we find a common way
A healthy rhythm making room for work and play

Don’t forget to play
It’s part of what’s inside us
Don’t forget to play
It limits what divides us
Don’t forget to play
There’s laughter right beside us
No better time for playing than today
Join the recreation, come and play
 
Stifling our playfulness is nothing new
It’s looked upon as slothful when there’s work to do
But even work is playful when it’s done with grace
A playful spirit softens up a hardened place

And don’t forget to play
It’s part of what reveals us
Don’t forget to play
Removing what conceals us
Don’t forget to play
It unifies and seals us
No better time for playing than today
Join the recreation; come and play
 
It’s what keeps my spirit light
Keeping things within me bright
It’s what brings me off the shelf
And helps me be my truest self
 
A soul deprived of playtime in time will long for more
It’s part of why we nurse the sick and feed the poor
Reaching to the broken souls that they might be
Brought closer to a playfulness that sets them free
 
And don’t forget to play
It’s part of what reveals us
Don’t forget to play
Removing what conceals us

Don’t forget to play
It unifies and seals us
No better time for playing than today
Join the recreation; come and play

And don’t forget to play
It’s part of what’s inside us
Don’t forget to play
It limits what divides us
Don’t forget to play
There’s laughter right beside us
No better time for playing than today
Join the recreation, come and play

Glutton's Graffiti

Play

“How Firm a Foundation”

(From Rippon’s “Selection of Hymns,” 1787; refrain written by Eric Park, 2016)

How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in his excellent Word!
What more can he say than to you he hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

“Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.”

We will stand on your promise
We will live in your grace
We will drink in your mercy
We will know your embrace
Though the ground feels unsteady
Where we walk day by day
We will trust your foundation
We will follow your way
We will trust your foundation
We will follow your way

“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow,
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace all-sufficient shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.”

We will stand on your promise
We will live in your grace
We will drink in your mercy
We will know your embrace
Though the ground feels unsteady
Where we walk day by day
We will trust your foundation
We will follow your way
We will trust your foundation
We will follow your way

“The soul that on Jesus still leans for repose
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no, never, no never forsake!
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no, never, no never forsake!”

Feels Like Home

How Firm a Foundation

When You Forget (words and music by Eric Park)

What makes a man a man? Is it his ability to remember things
Or is it more a man’s desire to do a thing in the first place
I’m thinking of a man whose memory fails him all too frequently
But I refuse to think that he’s less of a man than he used to be

The memory is just one portion of the person one becomes
And when it fails it doesn’t mean that one’s a failure
I’ll hold your memories as though they were a sacramental bread
And we will break that bread with reverence and frequency

And I’ll remember for you when you forget
Your noble legacy demands nothing less
Don’t think me burdened by this sign of respect
It’s an honor to remember for you when you forget

I see you in the back yard teaching both your sons how to throw a ball
I see you in the living room reading to your daughter
Your 50thanniversary looking at your wife like you did fifty years ago
I see you in a preacher’s robe teaching about the things of God

And I’ll remember for you when you forget
Your noble legacy demands nothing less
Don’t think me burdened by this sign of respect
It’s an honor to remember for you when you forget

With the pure water of your outpoured life
You have filled five hundred thousand cups
We have drawn from the wellspring of your decency
You’re who we want to be when we grow up

What makes a man a man? Is it his ability to remember things
Or is it more a man’s desire to do a thing in the first place
I’m thinking of a man whose memory fails him all too frequently
But I refuse to think that he’s less of a man than he used to be

And I’ll remember for you when you forget
Your noble legacy demands nothing less
Don’t think me burdened by this sign of respect
It’s an honor to remember for you when you forget


When You Forget

No Sweeter Place
Words and music by Eric Park

In the courtship and
In the covenant
In the tears we’ve gently cried
In the prayers and
In the puzzlement
There’s no sweeter place than at your side
In the tensions and
In the resonance
In the shades of grace we find
In my journeys through
Your countenance
There’s no sweeter place than on your mind

No sweeter place
No sweeter place
Than at your side
And on your mind
No matter where
The road will lead me
There’s no sweeter place I’ll ever find

In the Sabbath and
In the silliness
In the pain of time apart
In the warmth and
In the chilliness
There’s no sweeter place than in your heart
In the smiles and
In the somberness
In the fear of life’s extremes
In the mirth and
In the madness
There’s no sweeter place than in your dreams

No sweeter place
No sweeter place
Than at your side
And on your mind
No matter where
The road will lead me
There’s no sweeter place I’ll ever find

In our hopes and
In our dreaming
In the memories we retrace
In this world that
God’s redeeming
There’s no sweeter place than your embrace

No sweeter place
No sweeter place
Than at your side
And on your mind
No matter where
The road will lead me
There’s no sweeter place I’ll ever find

No Sweeter Place

"One More Day" (lyrics and music by Eric Park)

Give me one more week
Give me one more day
Give me one more hour
For things left to say
Give me one more minute
We’ll sit for a spell
We’ll drink of the familiar
In the stories we tell

The chambers of your absence
Are an unsettling place
Every time I turn around
I’m glimpsing your face
I thought I was ready
And I thought that I knew
But nothing prepared me
To be here without you

There is laughter still
As our life goes on
But there’s a voice in the shared laughter
That is painfully gone
So I hope you know
From your vantage point
Your absence is a presence
That we often anoint

The chambers of your absence
Are an unsettling place
Every time I turn around
I’m glimpsing your face
I thought I was ready
And I thought that I knew
But nothing prepared me
To be here without you

There’s a legacy
That you’ve left behind
I think of it quite often
I sure hope you don’t mind
And I’ll honor you
By making my way
But all the while I’m longing
For that one more day

The chambers of your absence
Are an unsettling place
Every time I turn around
I’m glimpsing your face
I thought I was ready
And I thought that I knew
But nothing prepared me
To be here without you

One More Day

Always Hope (Words and music by Eric Park)

I can see the broken pieces
I can trace the pain
The bitter tears your soul releases
Falling down like rain
I won’t minimize the anguish
You’re inclined to feel
Though I’ll beg you not to languish
In your own ordeal

There’s always
Hope
The conviction of a life’s potential
Hope
The assurance of a grace essential
Hope
The belief that tears we shed aren’t wasted
Hope
The remembrance of a joy once tasted

Purge me of my platitudes
My impulse to explain
No condescending attitudes
No clinical refrain
I won’t sabotage the silence
That your wounds demand
Though I’ll join your deep reliance
On a gentler hand

There’s always
Hope
The conviction of a life’s potential
Hope
The assurance of a grace essential
Hope
The belief that tears we shed aren’t wasted
Hope
The remembrance of a joy once tasted

Dare to believe that the brokenness cannot define you
Dare to believe that the fragments can only refine you
Dare to believe that the tapestry isn’t completed
Dare to believe in the weaving of threads now mistreated

On the sacred ground of your grief
We will gently tread
At the banquet of belief
Our hearts will find new bread
Just beyond the edge of broken
Lies redemptive ground
Just beyond the words unspoken
Hope waits to be found

Hope
The conviction of a life’s potential
Hope
The assurance of a grace essential
Hope
The belief that tears we shed aren’t wasted
Hope
The remembrance of a joy once tasted

Always Hope

Poetry

Kyrie Eleison (Lord Have Mercy)—Words and music by Eric Park

There’s a beautiful grace
And an opening door
Painful steps, I retrace
Things I’ve done before
It’s a broken life
That I offer to you
It’s an old kind of strife
Come and make me new

I am weary with sin
And the hurt that I cause
Don’t know where to begin
In this awkward pause
Just a desperate plea
For the work I can’t do
Come and wash over me
With the goodness of you

Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy on me, on me
Lord, redeem me
Cleanse and save me
Sanctify me for you, for you

When the deep calls to deep
There’s a tender reply
Where the soul is asleep
There’s a rousing cry
Where the sin is strong
There’s a far stronger grace
Where the right is wrong
There’s a cleansing place

Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy on me, on me
Lord, redeem me
Cleanse and save me
Sanctify me for you, for you

Lord, forgive our sin
Lord, forgive our disobedience
Forgive our sin
Rebellion rages still, bitter and raw
We have not done your will
We’ve broken your law
The needy cry for help
Our neighbors cry for love
We’ve ignored them all
Lord, forgive our sin
Lord, forgive our sin

I am weary with sin
And the hurt that I cause
Don’t know where to begin
In this awkward pause
Just a desperate plea
For the work I can’t do
Come and wash over me
With the goodness of you

Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy on me, on me
Lord, redeem me
Cleanse and save me
Sanctify me for you, for you

Kyrie Eleison (Lord, Have Mercy)

The Well is Deep
(Words and music by Eric Park)

Heat of midday, now’s my chance to go
They won’t see me, they won’t even know
That I have been there to the well
Fetching water, time will tell
If I’ll see the day – will I see the day
When I go to the well without fear and shame

Someone sees me, Jewish man I think
“Gentle woman, can you spare a drink?
I have traveled near and far
Under sun and under stars
Yes I am a Jew, flesh and blood like you
Can a Jew and Samaritan share a drink?”

But the well is deep, said she
So is the pain in your soul, said he
Come find your drink in me
I am the one you’ve been thirsting for
I am the one you’ve been thirsting for

Hear me woman, no need to depart
I know your story; I have searched your heart
I have seen the selfish men
Casting you aside again
You’ve tried to rise above
Still you need a love
That might prove to the world that you’re worth the time

Kind sir, kindly stop it
You speak like a prophet
One day Messiah will come
He will make all these things clear
One day the Christ will come
Redeem the dreams that we hold dear
Woman….woman….I am he

Gentle woman, let this be your day
I stand before you, the life the truth the way
You are precious in my eyes
Leave behind your sad disguise
I’ve come to quench your thirst
Let me be the first
To bring life-giving water into your soul

But the well is deep, said she
So is the pain in your soul, said he
Come find your drink in me
I am the one you’ve been thirsting for
I am the one you’ve been thirsting for

The Well Is Deep

Waiting
Words and music by Tara Park;
Words based upon Psalm 130: 1-2, 5; Lamentations 3:22-24; 
Written for our friend Barb, and for all those who are waiting

Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord  
I wait for You; my soul it waits 
Because of his great love, we are not consumed
God’s compassions never fail
They’re new, they’re new, they’re new each day 
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord 
In You, I put my hope; so my soul it waits  
Great is Your faithfulness 
You are my strength
And so I will wait for You  
My soul, my soul, my soul it waits  
Out of the depth I cry to You, O Lord

Waiting

Your Voice
Words and Music by Tara Park and Eric Park

Solitude at sunrise
By myself but not alone
Music softly playing
As the memories come alive

In the stillness of the morning
I listen with my soul
What I hear beneath the silence
Makes me smile; it makes me smile

Because your voice is inside my head
A good voice that speaks of a story that’s true
Your voice like sweet air it comes
Breathe it in, and breathe it out
Feels like home when I’m far away

A crowd of people laughing
I’m surrounded, still alone
Feeling like an outcast
In a world of fitting in

In the loudness of the chatter
I listen with my soul
What I hear reminds me sweetly
All is well. Yes, all is well

Because your voice is inside my head
A good voice that speaks of a story that’s true
Your voice like sweet air it comes
Breathe it in, and breathe it out
Feels like home when I’m far away

Even when your voice grew quiet with your frailty
Even when your voice was no longer your own
Even when my voice begins to crack with the sadness
I still have the hope of the voices once known

Your voice is inside my head
A good voice that speaks of a story that’s true
Your voice like sweet air it comes
Breathe it in, and breathe it out
Feels like home when I’m far away
When I’m far away

Your voice is inside my head

Tara and Eric Park

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