The Broken Hallelujah

For the children
of a grand delusion
who never stopped dreaming
For those hurting
through all the loving
and the loathing
who fell
chasing their own tail
like a sacrificial offering
to a reflection glistening
four sheets to the wind
and under the full sail
of a fevered imagination

Plying the streets
of frozen light
and darkened heat
the stolen brethren
of estrangement
sleeping cold pavement
lost to good deeds
as the angelic weep
for the sheep
left to feed
upon the weeds
of medicine show religion
and state sanctioned superstition
an all consuming orchestration
of a bad seed congregation
For those cast aside
set adrift and forsaken
For the misspent youth
and the seeker of truth
. . . sadly mistaken
all searching
for that unspoken Hallelujah

For those listening
to a liar forever talking
I once stopped to hear
as a thief came prowling
Life itself was being stolen
by a bully accusing
who seems to know something
Condemning every single
simple little thing
Me about you … you about me
who knows absolutely nothing
Does love divine cover
a multitude of sinning?
Don’t go looking
for a rolling stone
to give you shelter
Thank God
in Christ
we are forever forgiven
Yet the bad times
ne’er forgotten
I am the broken Hallelujah

All the loving
and the loathing
of my youthful roaming
taking flight
second to the left
and straight on till evening
to a place where
the sheer might of delight
makes everything seem right
yet the peacocks of my past
now vultures feeding
in a maze of spite
where the Prince de Phobia
rules in the shadow of night
where the days are a haze
and the way out is never right
but just as darkness
flees from the light
I heard the Word
and I fought the fight
Now older, wiser
… and hanging on tight
for the Prince of Peace
he is within my sight
No mistaking
… not forsaken
I am the broken Hallelujah

For the loving
and the loathing
For the seeker exploring
who never made it back
For the boundary rider
who went off track
in hot pursuit
of forbidden fruit
The ecstasy and the agony
of the visionary
roaming the back alley
who sees only black
For the dreamer
forever caught in a trance
For the worshipper
of natural forces
addicted to romance
always caught off course
without any pants
For the lost
and the excluded
praying for a chance
For those alone
in secret places
with the hard drive ghosts
of a thousand faces
For those too far gone
to maintain the pretence
There is a Lord
over every circumstance
Not some token Hallelujah

For the poet reluctant
who tastes without
so much as a touch
silenced in the presence
when the Spirit of wholeness
brings a loving dose of the most
Christ Consciousness
whispering words of holiness
For all those who don’t
have their shit together
no matter the weather
over your satellite antenna
Be anxious for no such thing
For in Jesus
we have the real thing
The original and genuine
the most holy and gracious King
From the burning lips
and fractured hearts of men
has there ever been
a Holy Hallelujah?
I’ve not heard it yet
from my air raid shelter
Be the becoming
the overflowing Hallelujah

The Loving
and the loathing
The listening
The growing
The being still and knowing
From earthbound zero
to supernatural hero
Second to the right
and straight on till morning
A new day dawning
beyond all human understanding
more precious than gold
that sacred silence down below
seizing back the power
from whence it was taken
The figment of fear
forever to be forgotten
In an age of shrinking
attention spans
hijacked by spam
and fleeting fashions
with minnows splashing
in a muddied shallow puddle
Jehovah is the Great I Am
ruling and reigning
over the deepest ocean
Jesus is the rock solid bridge
over a temporary sea of trouble
The deal that is real
with the power to heal
A race in the running
redeeming this final hour
The Mercy Spill
from Calvary’s hill
throughout this earthly maze
… may God be praised
with a broken Hallelujah

I am on a journey
searching this side of eternity
reaching deep within me
seeking foremost and solely
for that Holy Hallelujah

~ by david b. redpath © 2017 – 2022

First published on WordPress 9/11/17

Title Image:
‘The Pietà’~ by Michelangelo, from
a photo by david b. redpath © 2017-2022

Portrait Artwork:
by Multiple Michael © 2022

https://multiplemichael.wordpress.com/2022/01/29/dali-175/

https://youtu.be/AT13QRSZO70

124 thoughts on “The Broken Hallelujah”

      3. Anything goes as long as the temps go under 20 degrees, as today we are up around 30, and it is starting to resemble Graceland Tennessee in humidity!
        I’m going to Graceland…..

        Liked by 2 people

  10. Brilliantly written poem with such a powerful message. It resonates in my heart.
    Love these lines:
    “For the lost and excluded
    praying for a chance
    For those alone
    in secret places
    with the hard drive ghosts
    of a thousand faces
    For those too far gone
    to maintain the pretence
    There is a Lord
    over every circumstance
    Not some token Hallelujah”

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  14. This is an amazing tribute to Leonard Cohen. You took me on a journey through my past where it felt like I was seeing myself over and over again, and everyone, and you. Your poems are like roses that, from the first word, get planted in my heart and hook their thorns in deep and those thorns always cause me pain because of all the longing I have for peace, for certainty – for Him. I don’t mind the pain so much. Your roses are beautiful. ♥.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Flowing Niki,
      sorry if my words
      get a bit prickly.
      Glad to know
      you appreciate
      ‘Pop’s Poet Laureate’.
      Some called him
      the ‘Godfather of Gloom’
      & the ‘High Priest of Pathos’
      … but whatever,
      losing the Leonard
      was a great loss.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. You’re most welcome David. I didn’t give my brain time to think about them so they came straight from my heart. =) I find that’s usually best. My brain tends to muck things up. ^_^ ♥.

        Liked by 1 person

  17. A superbly majestic poetic tribute in honour of Leonard Cohen, David.
    I love all the great imagery and poetic lines throughout.
    I particularly love those lines,
    “The peacocks of my past
    now vultures feeding
    in a maze of spite.”
    How very very true in all our lives.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Thank you very much, Christopher.
      That line was inspired
      by the Spanish proverb;
      ‘Raise ravens and they’ll pluck out your eyes’.
      Carlos Saura used the saying
      as the theme for his Post Franco movie masterpiece,
       ‘Cría cuervos’.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  23. After this masterpiece has been covered to death and beyond it is most refreshing to read your punchy rendition.
    Took me on a trip, one of those you don’t plan, but that are happening anyway and all you can do is take in the scenery with all the good, the bad, the ugly and the mad.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Thank you Matthias
      … for taking the trip.
      Your comment, most prophetic,
      has hit the nail on the head
      of my next post.
      The inspiration for which
      is, ‘the Good, the Bad, and
      the Ugly’… a great movie.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  30. Pingback: The Broken Hallelujah | As' salaam Alaykem :) Rahim

  31. On a second read through of this, I find you have really done a wonderful expression of what it means to be lost and found… to be a shattered broken Hallelujah and yet forgiven.
    I liked this line…
    There is a Lord
    over every circumstance
    Not some token Hallelujah

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  39. Your stream of comments is proof enough of the magnitude of this poem! What can I add?! It’s such a pleasure to see what can pour out from a fellow being open to his heart, calling and questions… feels like home when your heart is touched by another human being…. 😍

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  42. David I love your work because you speak your truth and it is beautiful and unbelievable creative. I love this part so much:

    “For in Jesus
    we have the real thing
    The original and genuine
    the most holy and gracious King
    From the burning lips
    and fractured hearts of men
    has there ever been
    a Holy Hallelujah?
    I’ve not heard it yet
    from my air raid shelter
    Be the becoming
    the overflowing Hallelujah”

    You are a beautiful poet that cuts to the truth. Love your photo at the end. Blessings to you and your lovely wife and muse. Big hugs and lots of love ❤️ I am so grateful yet so unworthy of God’s Grace and so Glad He loves this poor sinner. I had a lovely prayer answered today it was a gift. Big hugs David. ❤️🤗🦋🙏

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you in the heavenlies, Joni.
      It is good to be in a relationship
      with the One who cares enough to
      answer prayers, and grant us the
      desires of our hearts (according to
      what’s best for us). All I can do
      as a believer is be a heart witness.
      Love is the motivating factor that
      cuts through to the heart of the
      matter, and speaks louder than
      speeches sweet that tickle the ears
      and flatter with deceit (of which
      there be plenty on social media).
      The challenge is putting it into
      words that can relate, and don’t
      alienate. Love without truth is but
      an emotion. A fleeting passion that
      that comes and goes like the latest
      fashion 🧥👗🩱👖👙👠 🤔🕶️
      I very much appreciate your
      insightful comments, Joni 🙏 😇

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. It was such a beautiful piece. God has certainly given you some beautiful gifts and it is a blessing to see you using it to His Glory. Big hugs and love to you both. Thanks also for such a sweet response. I do my best to give God the thanks for many things and I too try not to scare people off. I write what is in my heart. ❤️🤗🦋🙏

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Yes, it’s strange how they do that. Words I mean, not children. There’s so much of life in everything you write, David, and I’m not just saying that… I have a lot of reading to catch up on, on highway bloggery. Hope I don’t get held up.

        Liked by 1 person

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