Category Archives: Poems

Seasons of Love

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When winter winds roar through the trees
And snows softly fall upon the ground,
I’ll think of you.

When spring rains dance in patchy puddles
And flouncy flowers fluff in color bursts,
I’ll think of you.

When summer sun beats down upon the parched land
And children’s cries chorus in syncopated laughs,
I’ll think of you.

When autumn arrives in sprays of orange and brown
And plump pumpkins prance on Halloween night,
I’ll think of you.

Whenever the sun rises and sets
And stars brighten the skies of my dreams,
I’ll think of you.

Wherever you are.
Whatever you’re doing.
Forever and forever.
I’ll think of you.

The Qualities of Love

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Love is strongest in its mornings

When first glance, first hug, first kiss

Define its parameters.

Love enriches, embraces, endures

Carrying us through pain, suffering, joy, exuberance.

Love drives the human heart forward,

Giving us sustenance and relief,

When most needed.

Love allows us to stand tall, knowing that

There is support underneath,

even when our beliefs run counter

or when we err on the side of caution.

Love inspires us to reach beyond

Our strongest dreams,

To strive to become something which

Only speaks to us in our hearts.

Love is kind and gentle.

It does not cause pain or injury.

Love guides us, strokes our fires,

All while managing to ground us

To the people who love us most.

Room for All

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People of the Sun

welcome the strengthening rays

with outstretched arms, reaching,

bringing in welcome warmth.

New days, new adventures await.

Embracing oneness with the

center of the known universe.

People of the Moon

greet the enveloping night

with folded hands

supplicating needs to the bringer

of creation, initiator of all thought,

pledging undying solidarity

to regulated change.

People of the Stars

dream of what may be,

searching for fantastic future hopes

amid a cacophony of movable dots

whose pinpoint lights pierce the

penetrable darkness, bringing hope,

chances of possibilities.

People of the Earth

stand rock solid

firmly planted in the rich soil

of security, whispering goodness,

wealth, and prosperity in grateful

thanksgiving to the One who

made it all appear.

People of the Water

rock soothingly to and fro

with the tides of change:

flexible, contemplative, measured

waves that crash unheeded against

the known, shaking the very

foundations of belief.

People of the Air

flutter about, touching, grazing,

wisps of joy floating through

life, barely discernible, yet solid

enough, felt, yet not.

Changeable, moody, inconsistent

bringers of soothing relief.

People of the Fire

charge engines, roaring life

into being, siphoning air and fuel

to their own needs, greedy, selfish

consumers taking but seldom giving,

burning those who stand too near

warming hearts and minds.

People of the Spirit

find friends everywhere

prosper in graciousness,  spreading

God’s love and goodwill throughout

humankind, lovers of life,

exuberant seekers

of commonalities.

In heaven and on earth

there is room for all

blended salads of goodness.

Riches solidified into countries, cities.

Creators, destroyers, givers, takers

standing under God’s gifts

thankful for life.

Simply Grateful

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the roads covered with gently

billowing snow looked

comfortably safe, hiding

the icy danger beguiling

hastily moving motorists

on the interstate

into driving casually

at normal high speeds

until time to change lanes

or to turn occurs

and

then

the wheels, hanging tenuously

to the road

lose grip

crazy careening

begins

swerving

side to side

spinning

helplessly

out

of

control

and off the road

landing, thank God,

right side up

no

one

hurt

on an embankment

with hearts pounding

knees shaking

prayers of blessed thanksgiving

lifting skyward

piercing the thick

gray cloud covering the earth

embracing God’s protective

love and grateful for

His watch over us all,

His humble servants,

His lowly children

for just down the road

others, not so lucky

tossed by the storm

trapped in an upside down

vehicle much like ours

have gone to meet

the Lord.

Praise be to God

my Lord and Savior

Who traveled with

my daughter, granddaughter,

and me today.

We are lucky to be alive.

Life Lessons

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French silk wrapped up memories

Gently formed from softened clay

Whispers blown upon the breeze

Moved by ocean’s lasting spray

Wrinkled fingers in soft caress

Rightful place upon the cheek

Erases sin and duress

Lovingly, in praise they speak

Houses lit by morning sun

Reflect a heavenly force

Flocks of angels golden spun

To guide humanity’s course

Compassion lights people’s eyes

Understanding the command

Love another is the prize

When offered by loving hand

Feelings moved by ocean’s spray

Carried home by mountain breeze

Fresh nurtured by softened clay

French silk wrapped up memories

Song of Hope

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Come, gentle rain, come

Cleanse the earth of all sin

Brighten the world

With the color of blooms

Blossoming under your watchful eye

Drip, drop upon the soil

Soak deep into the dirt

Feed tiny creatures down below

Feed forgotten roots, long dry

Yearning for your magic touch

Watch, oh, kind heart

As rejoicing spreads

Across the world

Wild with unmatched hues

Breaking out in fervent song

As all sing of your glory

Sing of the gift of life

Praise renewal of the spirit

Knee-deep in exuberance

Smiling the smile of hope

Come, gentle rain, come

Drip, drop upon the soil

Watch, oh, kind heart

As all sing of your glory

Soapsuds

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Soapsuds, please, scour away

The scalding tears searing

My pathetic, rapidly pounding heart

Erase the train-track rivulets

Tumbling terribly into the very

Fiber of my frivolous, fragile feelings

Blot out the blanketing pools

Pulsating through my pores

Preventing my pupils from seeking sight

My heart aches horribly

Heat burns through the hull with a

Heaviness that drags me into my private hell

I yearn for luminosity of light

The cleansing cacophony of children’s

Mesmerizing melodies of merriment

Refreshing refrains of unadulterated relief

To wipe away the weariness weighing down

On my overburdened shoulders

Comforting water, wash a cool calmness

Over me, obliterate this one source of pain

So that my open spirit may rise with the dawn

Bubbles babble at my unburdened feet

Boosting me into the blueness of sky

Freeing me to begin at the beginning

Before the pain blocked my peripheral view

I can see more clearly now, for the scrub

Has done me great good.

Thanks to God’s Helpers

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God appears as a total stranger

When you least expect Him.

In the form of the woman

Who perilously stopped at the side

Of the road and ran to our rescue,

Terror crossing her face, thinking only

Of the safety of those tossed about

Expecting injured bodies,

Her cell phone in hand

And already calling for help.

In the shape of the dark-haired man

Who stopped on the shoulder of the road

And ran to our car

Wearing his EMT jacket and asking

Over and over, “Is anyone hurt?”

Who did not leave until he saw

Us safely back on the highway

And driving away.

In the face of the kind Army officer

Dressed in his snug winter khaki green

Uniform, face full of concern,

Who jumped from his own car and ran,

Thinking the baby inside might be hurt.

Then climbed behind the wheel and drove

So carefully out of the ditch

Then cautioned us to be careful and to

Return home to the safety of our loved ones.

Thanks to the truck driver who passed by first

After witnessing our zigzag route

Across the ice-encrusted road.

Who smiled when I climbed out uninjured

And honked in sympathy to let us know

That he had called for help.

Thanks to the snowplow driver

Who waved as he went by in the fast lane

A salute to the living

A salute to the blessed survivors

Who were able to get up and walk away.

Thanks to the countless others

Who took time from their busy lives

To care about total strangers

Stranded in a snow back,

Two women

And a child strapped into her seat

Cold, but safe from harm.

All these carried Jesus in their hearts

Opening themselves to the

Possibility of grace returned in equally measure.

God’s grace falling in the snow

Of redemption.

For all these things and many more

We bless the Lord this day

And grant them peace and serenity

All the days of their lives.

The Shell

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Walking along the beach

I found a shell,

An ordinary shell.

Perfectly formed.

Six rows of ridges

Ruffles

Completely round

Except for where it joined

Its twin when still whole.

It felt surprisingly cool

And light

As it its soul’s mate

Disappeared long ago.

As I stare out at the Pacific Ocean

I wonder where this clam

Might have lived

And how it got to this spot

On this day

In time for me to pick it up.

Years ago my family moved

To California

A long journey.

I felt the hollowness

Of forced abandonment.

Like the clam

I was not in charge of my destiny

That power lay in my parent’s hands.

I was an ordinary teen

No great beauty

Smart, but lacking common sense

Or so I had been told,

So I had no say in the decision-making.

My parents picked the city,

The house, even the school

All I did was move in

Confined by their overarching rules

Until I went away to college.

For years I drifted through life

Swept by the tides

Working at one job, then another

Until marriage grounded me.

Now I stand with feet deep in sand

Rejoicing in the gifts given me.

Much like this simple shell

Held in my hand.

The Meaning of Christmas

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the angels sang a lullaby

the night that Christ was born

in chorus of sweet harmony

they sang  upon that morn

the Magi came from far and wide

to worship at His feet

they knelt and prayed right by His side

and vowed of Him to speak

the shepherds gasped in awe and fear

for Christ had come that day

to bring a message all must hear

before they fall astray

a star shone bright up in the sky

above His tiny head

and peace to all it seemed to cry

while He slept snug in bed

and so, dear friends, let us all fall

upon our knees and pray

for we must answer Christ’s call

rejoice in Him today